The Earth on Fire
by MandiLuv
Summary: Sequel to Where Witches Ride. When you love somebody, and they do something really, really evil, could you destroy them? For the good of the world? If it was someone you loved with all your heart? Completed, Outtakes. Sequel: War of the Roses.
1. Preface: Secrets Worth Dying For

**(AN) This is the beginning of my sequel to the story "Breaking Dawn Where Witches Ride", which starts off with Jake and Cassie's story ten years after the events of the first story. If you haven't read that, you probably won't get this story, so I advise you to read it. It's pretty good if I say so myself :-) Hope I have as many loyal readers as witches did!  
**

**Disclaimer: I only own Cassie, her powers, history, etc. :-)**

**Preface: Secrets Worth Dying For**

_But our love it was stronger by far than the love  
Of those who were older than we-  
Of many far wiser than we-  
And neither the angels in heaven above,  
Nor the demons down under the sea,  
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul  
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee._

_For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams  
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;  
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes  
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;  
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side  
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,  
In the sepulchre there by the sea,  
In her tomb by the sounding sea._

_  
Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe_

Fire licked along my pale arms, over my cold skin, melding seamlessly into blood red hair. It flickered, burning all who came too close. They danced around me, keeping their distance, blood red eyes waiting for the slightest hint of weakness, weakness that I'm sure was starting to show. I had been fighting for hours, and the fire was starting to fade.

So I ran. I ran through the trees, blinking as I felt them approach behind me, the flames dancing vibrantly in the wind. At least they were all following, I had given the town some time to hide and run. Of course, they didn't want the town, but what they wanted only I knew, and I would not give it to them.

I could go no further as I found myself at the top of La Push's cliffs. The flames finally went out, and I stood like a snuffed candle, tired and cold. They surrounded me in a half moon shape, furious and seething. The little girl at the front stepped forward, her crimson eyes burning with hatred.

"Where are they? You'll protect them when they left you here to die? You insolent waste of life." She spat, stepping forward. I took a step back, knowing that I was now an inch from the cliff's edge.

"Fuck you." I replied in the most menacing voice I could manage. She laughed bitterly. That's when I heard a wolf howl in the distance. My heart soared. They were still too far away to save me, but my friends, my family would be safe. My thoughts swirled around Jacob, my Jacob. I wished I had gotten to say goodbye. My throat constricted, tears burned my eyes. At least he would have our children, and maybe…maybe he would wait till I came back again.

"They won't save you, witch." The girl threatened. "This is your last chance."

I snorted. "Like you weren't going to kill me anyway." The girl's face lit up in creepily childish delight.

"I know, but this way we get to make it painful." She answered in her sing song voice. I suddenly remembered her name. Jane, the evil little girl vampire. I was very aware of the waves crashing around below me in the storm. I'd jumped off these cliffs before, the low one with the other girls in La Push, the tallest one where I stood now I'd only jumped off once, with Jacob holding me. It was the same one Bella had thrown herself off of nearly eleven years ago. As I thought about it, I decided drowning wasn't really a bad way to go, it was kind of peaceful, painless.

"Bite me." I smirked, stepping off the ledge. I heard Jane screech in childish rage as I fell away from the world, the water rising to meet me. I splashed into it with an impact that took my breath away as my body was buffeted by the waves, forced downwards into the deep water, thrown against the rocks. My last thoughts centered around my wolf, my cuddly, goofy, tender husband. I could see him clearly, waiting on the doorstep of our home, our kids playing in the front yard. I pictured him scooping them up in his arms and carrying them to meet me as they squealed and giggled. It was a calming last vision, a glorious way to die. Suddenly, something hard and colder than the water wrapped around my waist as the world began to darken.

Why the hell would they jump into the water after me? Was making my death painful all they cared about right now? Wasn't it clear I wasn't going to tell them anything? I was too weak to fight back, my head broke the surface and I felt myself being dragged to the shore against the raging current. Then I was placed, gently, on rock.

"Cassandra! Damnit Cassie!" My head throbbed, I coughed and water came out, running down my face. I groaned, but kept my eyes closed. The voice was some sort of hallucination, because there was no way it was real.

"Cassie, please, open your eyes. Think of Echo and Blaze, Cassie, what are they going to do without their mom… and if Jacob loses you… please…" The voice pleaded, sweet as honey. It had said the magic words though, my kids, Jacob. My eyes started open and I stared into molten gold eyes, placed in a heart shaped face and surrounded my mahogany hair.

"Bella…" I breathed in relief, my eyes drifting closed again as unconsciousness claimed me.


	2. Chapter 1: The Visitor

**(AN) My muses are running high folks, you're in luck. If you haven't read the epilogue to WWR, I'd recommend reading that first, then reading the first chapter of EoF. Dear lord, I can't start off with a happy chapter, can I? ;-) Isn't Echo the cutest? **

**Disclaimer: The pack and the Cullens do not belong to me. However, I do claim all responsibility for the witches, Echo, and Blaze.**

**Count.Applesauce: Me too! Edgar Allen Poe is my favorite, if I would have bothered to do a preface for WWR, I would have used his poem "Lenore" at the top of it, the second stanza. And yes, the preface for the sequel was in WWR as a sort of teaser (I got really ill and was unable to post for a few days, but I already had that written, so I posted it instead)**

**BethJavensen: I hope everyone likes it as much . I feel like I have to live up to WWR now! Hope you like this chapter!**

**EdraCullen: It's okay, I know you were thinking it ;-) And Bella-vampire is really cool, though she won't have her first "official" appearance for a couple chapters.**

**Sagestar: I like how my stories need to have abbreviations :-p BDWWR is a long one, it could also stand for "Bella Destroys World Wrestling Ring!" Or something like that… The official abbreviation for this one is EoF, because it reminds me of LotR :-p **

**Chapter 1: The Visitor**

I knew I was dreaming, in fact, I'd had this dream before countless times. For some reason, that never lessened the impact of this particular dream. I suppose, when you're a werewolf with a young family, that this dream completely encompassed everything you were most afraid of.

We were walking the well worn path in the forest behind our home. I held a tiny, fragile hand in my own, but she pulled away and I watched her run in front of me with an amused expression.

"Daddy! Daddy!" She called, twirling through the eternal green of La Push. I looked to my left and saw my own personal angel, her smile dazzling, as she cooed softly to our baby boy, my Blaze. Then I heard a tiny scream and Cassie's face fell, broken, staring into the forest. And I smelt the sick sweet odor coming from the direction my daughter had just run off to.

"ECHO!" I yelled, taking off, but I was too late, I was always just a little too late.

"Daddy? Daddy? Wake up." I could feel a cold hand on my shoulder. I sat up quickly, too quickly for a human, and took in the little girl standing by the bed. Her dark eyes widened as she saw me move. "Daddy, don't be scared. It's just me." She said softly in her sweet honey like voice. I sighed in relief, picking her up and holding her in my lap.

Her hair was long and dark as my own, braided carefully in pigtails before bed every night by her mother. Her pink nightgown contrasted with her gold-dusted skin. Her eyes, wide and alert, were the same stunning violet hue as her mother's. I held her close and felt her beating heart, inhaled her sweet honey fragrance. My baby girl was beautiful, precious, and safe in my arms.

"You are a terrifying little monster." I teased her, my heart soaring as she giggled. Cassie liked to tease me that Echo had me wrapped around her little fingers, and I suppose it was mostly true. From the first time she had smiled at me, I had longed to do everything in my power to make my little girl happy. And every time I heard her sweet laughter, my heart swelled with pride.

"Daddy," She smiled, raising her lips to my ear. "There's a princess outside my window!" She whispered, her eyes lighting up. I raised an eyebrow, tilting my head to the side. Echo had been going through an over imaginative stage recently, to which Cassie admitted she was mostly to blame, having gone through the same stage at her age. It meant one of us would get woken up at least three or four nights every week with something in Echo's room.

"Okay, let's go see." I said, hoisting her up into my arms and climbing quietly out of bed. To my relief, Cassie didn't stir. Our dog, Prince, raised his head from the floor to look at me as I padded out the door. In reality, he was more of Cassie's dog. Quil and Claire had found an abandoned litter of puppies two years ago. Almost everyone in the pack had one of the puppies, and the littlest had absolutely fallen in love with my Cassie, pregnant with Blaze then, following her around everywhere. For awhile, the pack had joked that Prince had imprinted on Cassie too.

I shut the door to our bedroom and slipped down the hall sleepily. I was almost to her door when I smelled it, the same hair raising odor from my dream. I growled low in my throat, reflexively tightening my hold on Echo. She squirmed against me and I turned around, heading to Blaze's room.

"Daddy, are you angry?" She asked.

"Not at you, princess." I assured her, relief flooding me as I realized there was no smell from Blaze's room. I cracked open the door and took in my son's sleeping form in his bed. I scooped him up gently in my other arm, quickly returning to my own bedroom. He barely even woke up, brushing his auburn hair from his tan skin, and blearily opening his violet eyes, before closing them again almost immediately when I laid him next to his mother.

"What's wrong?" Echo asked, reluctant to let go of my shoulder. I kissed her forehead.

"There was someone in your room, sweetheart. I just want to find out why." And rip them limb from limb for even getting close to you, I added, as I gently shook Cassie awake.

"Mmm.." Cassie groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She took in Blaze, cuddled against her and smiled sweetly before her eyes moved to Echo, sitting on the edge of the bed, her fingers gripping my shoulders as I slowly pried her from me.

"Jacob?" She said softly. I looked up, meeting her eyes.

"There was a…in Echo's room…a…" I mouthed the word vampire. Cassie's eyes instantly widened and she sat up, pulling Echo away from me.

"Are you going out there Jake? By yourself?" She questioned, worry lacing her voice.

"Quil is on patrol. Call the Clearwaters, Leah will be out for blood when she hears this." I responded, trying to ease her worry with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll be fine, and I'll get her, and this will never happen again." I promised, the steely resolve to keep my family safe rising again. I leaned over the bed, kissing her lightly, her smell and warmth going to my head instantly. I wondered if she knew, even after ten years, that every time I saw her it was like seeing her for the first time all over again. I loved her more each day.

"I'll be back before you wake up again, Echo. Sleep here with your mom and Blaze and take care of them for me." I said quietly, running my fingers over her braids before I left the room.

I made my way to the end of the hall, throwing open Echo's door. The stench drifted through the open window, where it was strongest. I knew the window hadn't been open when we'd put her to be earlier. I looked at it, the latch was broken. The leech had been sitting in this window for some time, doing what I didn't know? Had she been watching, trying to talk herself out of hurting a child? I couldn't think of that, I shrugged off the shorts I wore to bed, and jumped out the window, my shape exploding before I even hit the ground.

_Jesus Jake…_Quil started, but stopped as my thoughts ran through what had just happened. _Shit…Cassie and the kids are okay?_

_Cassie and Echo are shaken up. _My daughter, my wife.

_I'm about two miles north, she must have slipped right by me. Sorry man. I'll meet up with you to follow the trail, we'll get her. _Quil reassured. I began to run.

The scent was strong, only a few minutes old, but this leech was fast. Five minutes into the chase, another mind entered our world, followed seconds later by another.

_Blaze is alright? _Leah asked, frightened. I replayed the image of him safe, curled up to Cassie, to give her peace. Leah, cold, bitter Leah, had imprinted on my son the moment she had come to visit us in the hospital. One look into Blaze's violet eyes had melted Leah's ice cold façade for the rest of time. She lived for my family the same way I did.

_I tried to tell you that, Leah. You ran out too fast._ Seth scolded. I tried to block them out as they joined the chase, all of us running together through the dark, tangled forests of La Push.

I growled when I heard the approaching ocean. Surely enough, the trail ended at the surf, the one place it would be hard for us to follow.

_Spread out along the shore. _I ordered. _See if she doubled back. _The four of us slipped down the shoreline, but the scent was gone. I growled angrily, I had promised Cassie…

_She won't blame you. Besides, if it comes back, I'm pretty sure Red could take it. _Seth said warmly as we spread out through the forest, scouring it.

_I would prefer it never get that close again. _Leah's voice chimed in and her thoughts dwelled on Blaze.

_Seriously. Maybe we should go back to doing three of on patrols like before, when the Cullens…_ Quil cut off abruptly, because their name sent a whole new wave of emotion over me, anger, pain, betrayal. I fought back the red over my vision. I didn't want to think of the Cullens.

_That's a good idea. Two or three on patrol at all times. This won't happen again. _I declared, watching as the sun began to rise over the trees. That's when another mind popped into our sphere. It was quiet for a moment, absorbing the information.

_Damn. _Paul thought. _Why didn't you guys call me? _

_We needed you to do morning shift. _I answered.

_I'll stay on with him and run patrol. You guys get some rest._ Seth said. I nodded.

_One of you on the border line at all times. _I ordered as the rest of us began to disappear into the trees. Leah followed me.

_Can I come and see Blaze? _She asked hesitantly. _It would make me feel better to actually see him…_

_Sure, sure. _I answered. _You might as well try and get some sleep there too._

We ran in relative silence, thinking our own thoughts. When our house came into view, I instinctively raised my eyes to my bedroom window. It was open, and my wife was sitting at the window seat, her knees pulled up to her chin. I only saw her for a second before she disappeared, and a few seconds later she reappeared in front of us, her ruby hair blowing in the morning breeze, two sets of clothing in her hands. I pulled my shape back together, taking the clothing she offered and passing the other set to Leah. This was once awkward, when we were teenagers. Now it was like changing after sports in the locker room. Cassie's eyes stayed on my face the entire time, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Did you find her?" She asked.

"No, I'm sorry. We're running double patrols now until we do." I responded, picking her up. "Did you stay up all night?"

"So did Echo and Blaze, mostly. We were worried about you; I just got them to sleep again." She said softly, burying her face in my shoulder.

"You worry too much." Leah said as she shrugged into Cassie's clothing. Cassie snorted.

"Yeah, I worry too much. 'Oh, yeah, sure Cass, let me tell Leah…Leah, there was a leech at the Black's…shit, gotta go, Leah just phased and high tailed it out of here.'" I couldn't help but chuckle at her imitation of Seth's laid back voice and Leah's skin darkened as we climbed up my porch and up the stairs. Leah opened the door for us, and I sighed as I saw my children, tangled in the blankets. I set Cassie down on the bed as Leah slowly pulled Blaze from the sheets. His eyes opened and he giggled in delight.

"Leah is here." He said, kissing her on the cheek. She glowed happily.

"I'm going to take him back to his room; I'll sleep in that big recliner you have in there." She said. Cassie nodded, snuggling under the covers.

I watched Leah carry Blaze back to his room, listening to her coo softly. Who would have known Leah could be so good with kids? I slid back into my own side of the bed, sandwiching Echo between us. I had to nudge Prince over, he was in my leg room. I wrinkled my nose.

"Since when do we let the dog sleep in the bed?" I asked. Cassie giggled.

"I was under the impression the dog always slept in the bed." She teased. I tried to make my face look wounded.

"I love you so much, and yet you're so mean." I said, lowering my eyes.

"I love you more." She answered, kissing my nose. I grinned, running my fingers through her hair.

"Aw, I forgot you have work and Echo has kindergarten, you've both been up all night…" I said, looking at the bags under Cassie's eyes.

"I called us in sick an hour ago." Cassie said quickly. "I wanted to be with you today."

"Okay. Whatever you want." I mumbled. Cassie's eyes slowly closed and she sighed.

"I'm scared. Why in the world would a vampire come here?" She whispered.

"I don't know. It won't get that close again." I promised, kissing her cheek. "Paul and Seth are out there now."

"Okay." She murmured. "It'll be alright."

"Everything's gonna be alright, rockabye, rockabye." I sang softly and horribly out of key. She smiled, and I fell in love all over again. I watched her fall asleep, and studied the breathing of both my girls.

I remembered vividly the promise I had made ten years ago, the day Cassandra Luwen had 'died'. Nothing would ever hurt us again, I would protect my family with every bone in my body.


	3. Chapter 2: The Estrangement

**(AN) The chapters are probably going to alternate right now, Jake, Cassie, Jake, Cassie in terms of POV. So, here's the question, who exactly do you think it was in Echo's room? If you guess right, I'll give you a present! By the way, Cassie's dog is an Irish Wolfhound mix. They're beautiful, friendly, loyal dogs. I had one from the time I was a little girl until very recently (he died right after I graduated high school). They're also amazing with children. They're actually attracted to the sounds of happy kids. Who knew?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight! Four days till Breaking Dawn!**

**Chapter 2: The Estrangement**

The murky light flooded in through the drapes. I opened my eyes slowly and took in the sight beside me. My darling daughter, Echo, was lying on her side facing me, her long dark hair coming out of her braids. Jacob was facing the same direction, his face completely peaceful. I reached over and tenderly brushed the hair from his eyes. It was time like this, when the world was quiet and peaceful, that I could realize how truly lucky I was. I'd went from a two thousand year old witch stuck in a teenagers body with nothing to live for, to a wife and mother with everything to live for. I kissed Echo's forehead lovingly as I slipped from the blankets. The clock on the nightstand read 11:30 and I couldn't help but sigh. The kids would never want to go to bed tonight.

Prince followed me loyally, climbing from his bed and stretching, his grey fur standing on end. I opened the door and stepped into Blaze's room. Blaze was fast asleep in his red racecar shaped bed; Leah had pulled the recliner over along side it so her hand was on the railing as she slept soundly, lightly snoring. I rolled my eyes and closed the door, tiptoeing quietly down the hallway. My kitchen was warm and cozy, the spring light filtering through the windows. I opened the door and let Prince dart out into the yard. I turned and began to start breakfast, throwing the eggs and bread onto the counter.

I'd always loved to cook, as a kid I'd often cook for Zack and me when the nanny was off and we were on our own. I especially loved to cook for my new family. It was peaceful and often the children were awake to try and help, which was always amusing. Echo, the tom boy she was, preferred to spend days outside or in the garage with her dad, but Blaze hardly left my side except when Leah was around.

That was another sticky situation I'd hardly been prepared for. I'd always wanted Leah to imprint, for her to be happy. In the years since I'd come to La Push, we'd gotten really close. Leah tried to keep up her façade for the pack, but around me she let her guard down. She was human, not an ice queen, who was really hurting. I didn't expect her to imprint on my son, though.

Hypocritically enough, I'd been worried. It had taken Jacob three days to calm me down enough to let Leah see him again. After that, I was never worried again. It had been the way her face lit up the moment she saw him in his crib, her eyes defrosted and she smiled like she was sixteen again. No one in the entire world could ever adore or love Blaze anymore than Leah could. I'd come to see it as a blessing that my son would always know that kind of love and would never have to struggle the way I had.

The eggs in the pan sizzled as Prince barked outside. I turned to let him in, stopping at the door as I heard a loud booming laugh. I smiled slightly as I saw Paul stumble out of the woods in cut off jeans, Prince jumping up on him and licking his face.

"Cassie! Control your dog!" Paul yelled and I cracked open the door.

"Shush, or you're going to wake up everyone else!" I scolded as Prince ran back into the kitchen, taking his customary place by the stove. Paul followed at a leisurely pace, pulling me into a bone crushing hug as he entered my home.

"Hey Red, heard you had a scare last night?" He asked playfully. I frowned instinctively. In the light of day, when everything seemed so normal, it was easy to forget the frightening night I'd had. Paul read my face easily, musing my hair.

"Easy Red, we'll get her. Colin and Brady are out there now." He reassured me, tossing his heavy arm over my shoulders. "What's for breakfast? Our stove broke." He said with a petulant pout. Paul, for all his bad boy attitude, was just about as helpless as a puppy.

"How can the stove break? You four never used it." I said with a snort, referring to Quil, Paul, Colin, and Brady, the four werewolves who all lived together. "You're always here, or at Kim and Jared's, or at Emily's begging for food."

"Does that mean you're not going to feed me and I'm going to have to go beg at Emily's?" He asked with a laugh. I shook my head.

"Get the other thing of eggs out of the fridge. Where's Seth?" I asked as I scrambled the eggs in the pan.

"He claimed he was beat and went back to the apartment. I gather he's probably just looking for alone time since Leah's out of the house." Paul offered, placing the eggs on the counter and collapsing into a chair. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm tired. I called off work today and school for Echo." I said softly.

"Bad girl, ditching. What are you teaching your children?" He said with another laugh. Teasing me was Paul's favorite pastime. Of course, it was ridiculously easy. Being married to a werewolf meant having no secrets from the entire pack. Granted, I was more fun to tease, because when he took it too far I could throw out my hand and toss him into the ocean.

"Paul!" Came a girlish squeal from the stairs as my Echo threw herself at the man in the chair. He caught her easily and tossed her into the air.

"Hey kiddo. Enjoying your day off?" He asked, an impish grin on his face.

"Mommy, mommy." She wriggled out of Paul's arms and to me. "Why didn't we go to school today?"

"Because we stayed up very late, and I figured we could use a day to rest. Skipping every so often is healthy." I explained with a smile.

"Oh. Okay. Are those scrambled eggs?" She asked, wrinkling her pretty nose.

"I'll make yours sunny side up." I promised. This seemed to appease her, and she made her way back to Paul, who swung her up so she was sitting on the table.

"Are you staying for breakfast, Paul?" She asked, her head tilted to the side, dark strands of hair falling in front of her face.

"Yep. I had to beg your mommy to cook for me." He said with a smirk. I snorted.

"I'll make you beg." I threatened as I spooned the eggs onto a plate.

"Jacob will get jealous." He teased.

"Jacob will kick your…" I started, but Echo interrupted.

"Did you find the princess?" She asked, swinging her feet. Paul and I both stared at her. "The one in my window last night." She clarified.

"No, sweetie, but we're trying." Paul said gently, fire in his eyes. "We'll find her soon."

"She looked so sad." Echo said quietly. "She called my name." I froze where I stood.

"Echo, I left your clothes for today on your desk. Go get dressed." I ordered. Echo rolled her eyes, but obeyed quickly, dancing up the steps lightly.

"She knew Echo's name?" Paul said harshly. Things had snapped violently into place for me. A vampire had been at our house. She had watched Echo, but made no move to scare her or harm her. She'd looked sad. She knew my little girl's name.

"They're back." I croaked out. The back of my head throbbed in rebellion, the star on my wrist burned, and I was suddenly over aware of the crescent shaped scar on my forearm.

"Breathe, Cassandra." Paul was instantly by my side, his hand on my shoulder. "I'll wake up Jake, we'll take care of it." He slipped into pack plural at the end and I began to panic more.

"No, no." I whispered, pushing Paul away. He didn't budge, of course. "The pack would fight. You'll all get hurt. No." I ordered.

"We can't just let them run around in La Push scaring…"

"She wasn't scared." I cut him off. "They didn't do anything to her. They just watched. I'll go talk to them."

"No. Jake won't let you. Hell, I won't let you. We've already almost lost you more than enough times, Red." He growled, trembling slightly. I slipped away from him, blinking up to my bedroom.

Jacob was still where I'd left him, snoring quietly. I locked my bedroom door and began to put on my clothes, throwing on an old t-shirt and jeans, tossing my hair back in a ponytail.

"Cassie, open the door." Paul growled quietly from the other side. "Or I will break it down."

"You'd better have the money to fix it then." I threatened back just as quiet. I blinked out into the hallway, my hands on my hips.

"Cassie." He turned around, towering over me. "You're being ridiculous, look what happened the last time…" My mind was reliving the memory before I could stop it.

_"I'll miss you." Jacob said, kissing me softly in the airport. "I hate being away from you."_

_"I'm only going to be gone for three days. I was away longer when I was helping Zack and Stella move in to their new place." I said softly, nuzzling into his shoulder. Echo was in his arms, her chubby toddler arms tugging on his hair and making her squeal delightedly._

_"She's beautiful." A woman passing cooed. "How old is she?" _

_"Two." Jake and I both answered. The woman laughed and carried on, shaking her head._

_"It's the first time I've ever been away from her though, what if she forgets me?" he asked, worry creasing his brow. I couldn't help but snicker._

_"You're her dad, and she's your little princess. She'll probably cry the whole time for you." I offered. He looked pleased as he kissed her forehead. _

_"I'll call you three times everyday. Maybe more." I grinned impishly. "You'll have the whole house to yourself, you can have some wild parties…"_

_"They're not worth it if you're not there." He kissed me again as they called my flight. He handed me my bag._

_"Tell Bells I said hello!" He said cheerfully, trying to keep smiling for my sake. _

_"I will. Love you."_

_"Love you more."_

Paul pulled my arm out in front of me, the raised half moon scar glittering against my skin. It was always a little too cold, always smelled a little sweeter than the rest of my skin.

"I'm older and wiser now. I have to go. Watch Echo." I ordered again. Paul let go of my arm, defeated.

"I'm giving you ten minutes head start, telling Jacob you did some witchy mumbo jumbo on me, then telling him to go get you." Paul retorted. "And if he asks me to, don't think I won't come too."

"Give me fifteen minutes." I said with a bitter smile, running down the steps. I almost forgot to grab my keys on the way out, but I had to be quick. I doubted Paul would even give me ten minutes, let alone fifteen. As I jumped into my car, the back of my head throbbed again in protest, trying to break down the wall I had carefully built to keep my sister out.

_"Esme!" I called, bouncing Echo up and down. The crowd parted for her like they did for a movie star. She smiled happily, taking in me, then my Echo. Her eyes lit up and she held out her arms. Much to my surprise, Echo didn't resist, but instead reached for Esme. I let her go and Esme gently carried her in her arms. Carlisle took my bags, smiling at me. _

_"We missed you. My has she grown." He said fondly, his other arm around my shoulders. "How's Jacob?"_

_"He's fine, he's really upset he can't make it, but Embry's wife Lucy just had her baby and Quil is in Seattle trying to buy parts, so he's the only one in the shop this week." I explained. Esme was running her fingers through Echo's hair._

_"She's as gorgeous as you are, Cassie." Esme gushed, kissing Echo's forehead. "Motherhood really suits you." _

_"Thanks Esme. I've missed you guys." I said as I stood on tiptoe to give Esme a kiss on the cheek. "Where is everyone?"_

_"Waiting on the porch at home no doubt." Carlisle said with a chuckle. "They all wanted to come, but we didn't want to overwhelm her."_

Tears stung my eyes as I floored it down the streets. Some part of me told me to stop, or else Charlie was going to pull me over and I'd have to explain why I looked like I'd seen a ghost. The majority of me just didn't care though, because I was crumbling. I'd tried so hard to block this entire thing out, to make it a distant memory. I'd always been really good at blocking people out.

_Echo toddled down the driveway, Emmett and Bella following her adoringly. My sister looked well, I was happy to see. She was pale as death, cold and hard like marble, but she smiled happily whenever she looked around. She was, if possible, even more beautiful. Her long dark hair was the color of Ebony, her golden eyes glowed. Curves were now even more defined._

_Alice sat across from me on the porch, her hands skillfully twirling my hair as she talked endlessly about their new school, how well Bella was doing, how much Echo looked like me. I could barely get a word in, but I didn't mind. It was like I was back with my entire family again._

_Alice stopped talking, I turned to look at her, but then I heard a high pitched cry from the driveway. I knew well enough that it was Echo's cry and I stood up. That's when I heard a crash like two rocks hitting together._

_"Bella! NO!" Emmett yelled, but he wasn't fast enough. My daughter was on the ground, her knee bleeding, and I was in front of her in a fraction of a heart beat. Bella's razor sharp teeth sunk into my arm instead of my daughter's soft skin. I threw out my arm and Bella went flying across the lawn. Edward was there in a second along with Jasper, holding her down. The fire in my arm burned, growing steadily more intense._

_"Cassie!" Carlisle called. I stepped back, shielding Echo behind me. _

_"Stay away from me." I warned. I don't know if I was warning them to save them, or because if they came near I would kill them myself. The wound on my arm was burning, but it didn't matter. Flames sprouted from it, fighting to extinguish the venom beneath my skin._

_Sometimes being the physical manifestation of cleansing fire was really quite a good thing. As the fire went out, I turned to grab my daughter from the ground. I never went back._

Tears were falling down my cheeks now as I pulled into the Cullen's driveway. I wiped them away quickly as I stepped out of the driver's seat. There were cars in the driveway, I knew there would be. I strolled past the Mercedes and up the porch. I didn't bother to knock, they knew I was coming. I threw the door open and stepped inside the hallway. It was like they'd never left. Alice was alone in the hallway, staring at me sadly with her beautiful golden eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know what I felt anymore. The anger had evaporated, and I was left feeling sad, scared, relieved, and hopeful. I don't know how it happened, but I had thrown my arms around Alice's neck before I could think any more.

"I've missed you." She said softly. "It's been three years…"

"I know." I choked out. "I know."


	4. Chapter 3: The Sword of Damocles

**(AN) GAH! Did anyone see the new breaking dawn quote of the day? Eeep! "I'll kill you myself! I'll do it now!" – Jacob Gah! Anyway, probably the last update until post breaking dawn, your favorite crazy witch is back! And my Christine made me some really awesome icons! There's also a really cute little doll I made of Echo when I was bored . Enjoy! The link is in my profile!  
**

**Disclaimer: Blah blah, you've heard this before…**

**Chapter 3: The Sword of Damocles**

"Jacob! Jacob, man get up!" Somebody practically yelled, the deep low baritone did not belong in my bedroom, and it managed to startle me partly awake. I opened my eyes warily, focusing on Paul. He was at the foot of the bed, his hair messy, his eyes panicked.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in my bedroom?" I asked sleepily, sitting up.

"Listen, I had to break your door to get in here because Red locked me out, and she's gone…"

"You broke my door? Why the hell didn't you just knock?" I asked again, my eyes wandering to the damaged door knob. "Damn, I need to fix that before Cassie sees or you'll never be allowed in again Paul…"

"Pay attention! Cassie's gone!" I raised an eyebrow and looked to my side. Sure enough, Echo and Cassie were both gone. I felt oddly grateful that neither of them had been in the room for rampaging Paul.

"She probably went to the store, Paul, take it easy." I said, swinging myself out of bed and stretching. "Are Echo, Blaze, and Leah still here?" I asked lightly as I moved forward to examine the doorknob.

"Jacob! The Cullens are back! Cassie went to their house!" Paul grabbed my shoulder and shook. I turned quickly, fully awake now, but I didn't want to believe it. The Cullens were back…Cassie had gone to them…I could only see one thing in my mind, the night she'd come home three years ago…

_I was trying to spend all my time away from the house while my girls were gone. I was taking extra patrols and spending time with all the pack, just so I wouldn't have to be at home alone. That's why I was so late getting back to the house, so empty without them in it. I didn't notice any lights on, but the moment I stepped into the kitchen, I could smell them. _

_Honey and cinnamon were twined together, a fresh scent that trailed through the whole kitchen. My heart soared in pure joy as I took off up the stairs, running to our bedroom. She must have missed me too, to come home so early. I opened the door to our bedroom and stepped inside. I could see the figures there clearly, even in the dark. Echo was sleeping on the bed, her heart beating calmly, but my Cassie…_

_When I saw her, I knew there was something wrong. She was very still in the window seat, but her heart was sputtering, beating entirely too fast. She shifted her body slightly toward me when I opened the door, but she didn't turn her head. Her knees were curled to her chest, her arms wrapped around them._

_"Cass?" I called her name. Her body shook with a silent sob and I was by her side quicker than I thought possible, tucking her ruby hair behind her ear, examining her pale skin for injuries. "What's wrong? Is Echo okay? Did something happen to the Cullens?" I asked my panic mounting. _

_"Echo's fine. The Cullens are…okay." There was a pause there that showed she didn't quite know how the Cullen's were. My brow furrowed and I traced my hands over her arm, that's when I felt it._

_She flinched as my fingers ran over the cut. It was cold, colder than the rest of her skin. I gently pulled her arm up, examining it in the dim light of the obscured moon. The crescent shape mark was red, raw, and angry looking. The smell from it was slightly sweeter than her usual scent, more like cinnamon hard candy. I shook as I stepped back in reflex, the red haze covering my vision._

_"They bit you." It wasn't a statement, my voice shook. "Is the venom…the venom's gone?" I managed to get out through my trembling jaw. _

_"Yes. I burned it out." She answered softly, finally looking at me. Her eyes were red, tears glistening on her cheeks._

_"Was it the calm one?" I growled. He'd had control problems. Cassie had told me it was hardest for him. "I'll rip him to pieces…I'll…"_

_"No. It wasn't Jasper." She said softly. "It was…" Her voice was barely a whisper. She stuttered a moment and had to collect herself before she finally choked it out. "Bells. Echo fell and skinned her knee…I got there in time, but I couldn't…" She looked down at her arm._

_Bella. My Bella, her sister, my best friend. I was shaking like an earthquake now, completely unable to hold my shape together even if I tried. I ran out of the room quickly, managing to make it outside before I completely fell apart, and the wolf in me howled in rage._

_"Jacob!" She called from the open window. I wanted to run, run to Alaska, and kill them all. I had never felt such anger before…even when I first phased. Cassie's voice didn't even calm me like it usually did._

_"Jacob, please don't." She called again, softer. "I need you. Don't go to war with them…we'll never talk to them again, they don't ever have to be near me or Echo again, just please…let them go. Stay with me." She begged, and even though I was turned in the right direction, I never moved forward to destroy them like I so desperately wanted to. I let them go because she still loved them, because they were far away, and because she was safe with me in La Push._

_And I would never admit it, not in a thousand years. I only ever thought it that night. I would never be able to destroy Bella, not if she was the worst menace mankind had ever seen. _

I let out a low growl, her face forever frozen in time for me, a constant reminder of the pain she could feel so easily. "How long as she been gone? Where's Echo?" I asked softly as I darted through the house.

"She's been gone maybe five minutes, and Echo is in her bedroom, Jacob…" Paul trailed after me to the front door.

"I'm going after her. Wake up Leah and watch the kids." I ordered, taking off out into the yard. My shape exploded before I even hit the woods.

It was amazing I still knew the way after ten years. The forest was silent, I was even able to ignore Colin and Brady after telling them to stay put at the boarder. I crossed into Forks, keeping to the forest. Finally, I came to the Cullen's house, sitting at the edge of their tree line. I could smell them, their sickly scent managing to drown out Cassie's completely. There were six of them in the house, I would guess. That meant two were missing.

"Jacob's out there." A voice I recognized as Alice's drifted through the window. There was movement inside and then the door flew open. Cassie stepped onto the porch, her eyes trained on me.

"Jake…" She said softly. "Listen, they didn't mean to frighten us…" I growled and she winced. I instantly regretted it, turning tail into the forest, keeping my eyes on her as I changed. She didn't move, although Alice did come out onto the porch after her. As soon as Alice reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, I nearly lost it, barely managing to retain my shape as I stalked into the yard. I glared hard at the little vampire, my nostrils flaring. Her mate, the calm one, was beside her in an instant. She slowly removed her arm from Cassie's shoulder, which was a smart thing to do if she wanted to keep it. Cassie slipped down the stairs, sliding her arms around my still trembling form. I wrapped my arms tight around her.

"What in the world did you think you were doing?" I hissed, my eyes still trained on Alice and Jasper.

"I'm guessing I'm in trouble then, huh?" She asked, a faint note of hysteria in her voice. I looked down at her.

"I thought you said you'd never speak to them again?" I asked, wounded, angry, and jealous.

"You don't have any right to say who she can and can't speak to, mutt." The blonde female was at the door instantly, her eyes livid. I growled, clutching Cassie close to me.

"Not now, Rosalie!" Cassie said shrilly, her cool hands on my face, turning me to look at her eyes.

"Jacob." She started slowly. "This is a good thing. The Cullens are easier to handle than random vampires strolling through La Push and spying on our girl. This is a relief." I couldn't argue with that, at least I was certain the Cullens wouldn't hurt her on purpose, but deep down, they were monsters, and would always be monsters.

"Where is _she_?" I asked coldly, my eyes flickering back up to the Cullens. Six of them were on the porch now, their leader, his mate, and the big one. I didn't want to name them, even to myself, because giving them names meant listening to the memories, not all of them bad. Cassie turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes looking for an answer.

"Bella…didn't come with us. Edward and her didn't agree with trying to smooth things over…they said we should let you live your life in peace." Esme finally said, her face a mask of sadness. Cassie stiffened in my arms, her face falling. She'd been hoping that Bella was here, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself. I knew her well enough to know that she missed her sister and that Bella was already forgiven in her eyes. Staying away from the Cullens had been no act of spite. It was to protect Echo and Blaze, too young to protect themselves, and to protect the Cullens from me. I rubbed my hand up and down her back.

"She's beautiful, Cassie." Rosalie said suddenly, her eyes leaping to mine in challenge. "I was the one in La Push last night, I meant no harm, I just wanted to see her. I missed her, the sound of her laughing…" She looked softer when she said this, Emmett pulled her close. "The last time I saw her, she came to me first, remember? It surprised everyone…I guess I never seemed the motherly type. I gave her a teddy bear, but you left it at the house after…And she looks so much like you, Cassie…I couldn't even move when she woke up, I was entranced by her. She's perfect, I understand…why you wouldn't want her around the likes of us, but we fell in love with her too, Cassie. Please just let us see her." She begged and I closed my eyes. I couldn't bear to look at her face. I couldn't bear to let Echo near them.

"I'm sorry." Cassie whispered so softly it was almost lost in the wind. "Is…is that why you came here?" There was silence, silence that I didn't particularly like. I opened my eyes again, the Cullens were staring uncomfortably at each other.

"She said her name was Jezebel." Emmett blurted out suddenly. Cassie stiffened against me. I knew that name. Cassie had mentioned it before when talking about her own past. Jezebel was a fellow witch, someone Cassie had once thought of as a mother, a very old witch that was going slightly crazy.

"Jezebel?" She repeated faintly.

"She came to our home. Alice didn't even see her coming. When the doorbell rang, we thought maybe it was you and Jake, but…there she was…all gaunt and crazy looking. Edward knew who she was at once…apparently she came to the hospital after…after Mabon and Jake fought. She talked to Bella and Edward then, and Zack and Stella by the sounds of it." Emmett finished, looking at Alice.

"She was trying to convince Bella you needed her, but when I looked into your future, you seemed just fine. I mean, I couldn't see you all the time, but I could see you grocery shopping or at your job. You looked healthy and happy. I can't see anything horrible happening to you." Alice tried to reassure.

"But she was adamant, almost insane. She begged Bella to come here, but Bella wouldn't hear any of it. She told Jezebel she was insane, that it was your own choice not to hang around with monsters that could hurt you, that you were safe in La Push with Jake, that the kids were safe and her coming back would only put you in more danger." Esme finished.

"When she left, she threatened Bella, saying that if she didn't go back, she'd always regret it, that the world would never be the same. Bella said she's been mongering for centuries about the same thing, war and destruction, and that we shouldn't worry. But…I could feel the emotions coming off of her. She was desperate and in a panic, she believed whatever she was saying. So we came." Jasper added on. "Edward and Bella wouldn't tell us what she said in the hospital though. Edward wanted to, but he didn't want to upset Bella anymore than she already was…"

Cassie had gone very silent. I wondered if she was even breathing. Her heart seemed like it was about to beat out of her chest. I leaned down, looking into her eyes. "Cass?" I whispered gently.

"I'm never going to get away from my past, am I?" She mumbled. "It's always going to be right there, hanging over my head, putting everyone I give a damn about right in the middle of the bulls eye. The sword of Damocles."

"Shhh…" I soothed, pulling her tighter, resuming my glaring at the Cullens. "I'm taking her home. We'll be by to discuss this some other time." I stated, pulling Cassie into my arms bridal style. They didn't stop me as I carried her to our car, sliding her into the passenger seat as I got behind the wheel. The car started up smoothly and I quickly sped down the highway.

"My phone." Cassie said suddenly, reaching toward the visor. I opened it and handed her the phone, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She punched in a few numbers and held the phone up to her ear.

I could hear it ringing, but it eventually went to voicemail. "Zackary Ethan Luwen, I am going to rip you limb from limb for not ever telling me that Jezebel was in the hospital ten years ago. Ten years Zackary! That is more than enough time to mention it! When I finally get a hold of you Zack, you will be begging Stella to save your miserable life." She threatened, her knuckles white on the phone. She pressed the end call button, and I carefully pried the small phone from her tiny hands.

"So…" I started.

"Don't. Just don't Jake." She whispered tearfully, and I fell silent, aching once again because my Cassie was hurting.


	5. Chapter 4: Butterflies

**(AN) OMG! Breaking Dawn was seriously worth the wait :-) I guessed Bella's power right! (It was going to be the same in this story too!) I know a lot of people are unhappy with the way things turned out in the book, but I'd like to defend a couple points **

**(Warning, spoilers for Breaking Dawn below in bold!!) **

**1) Okay, I completely understand how Bella got pregnant. I mean, it could be just me and personal life experience (my uncle had his youngest kid at fifty five), but it makes sense to me. There's a clock for women, not so for men. Of course, for this story, we're going to pretend that it is impossible, otherwise it doesn't make sense. **

**2) Okay, the name is a little weird. I personally think it would have been better if it had been Carlie Renesme, but oh well. It's unique, for a unique kid. **

**3) The whole "Blah! Edward and Bella don't love each other enough anymore! They wouldn't die if the other one did!" shit is bull. Having a kid changes people, you suddenly have someone completely dependent on you. I know, if Mateo and I had kids and he somehow managed to die on me, I'd stick around for the kid's sake because that little guy/girl would need me. It doesn't devaluate love for each other at all, and if you're one of the people saying that you've obviously never ever been that in love with someone or ever held a kid in your arms who was completely dependent on you. **

**4) Jacob rocked. If you didn't like Jacob in this book, go crawl up and die somewhere .**

**Disclaimer: This story isn't even possibly cannon anymore, but I don't own twilight anyway :-p**

**Chapter 4: Butterflies**

I hated this. My life was seriously, without a doubt, completely screwed up. I should be happy, I knew this much. I had a great human life, 1.5 kids, (Blaze was young enough to count as .5), a dog, we even had a picket fence in the back yard for crying out loud. Not to mention, I had more than what most people had, I was human, but I'd never age, my husband was the same way. And Jacob loved me with every single fiber of his being. We were so in love, that the world seemed a blissful bubble to me at times. Times like those, I could lock Bella away in a dark attic and never think about her again.

And then something would remind me of her, usually my own reflection did it. I'd been avoiding mirrors whenever I could for years. The shade of violet in my eyes that matched hers too precisely was too much to bear, even though I knew her eyes were a far different color now.

Then there was the scar on my arm, a testament that I wasn't nearly as human as I pretended to be. Blaze was unusually fascinated with it. He would run his warm fingers over the cool spot and shriek with joy. He didn't know any better to him Mommy just had a funny scar.

Last, but not least, Echo reminded me of her. It was silly of me to think so, after all, Bella and I didn't share any of the same genes. Maybe it was the way that when the sun hit my Echo's hair, you get see just a hint of red in it. Maybe it was those damn eyes again, maybe it was how doll-like Echo looked. Echo would love Bella, I was certain of it. She wouldn't shy away from her.

"Cassie?" Jacob called my name softly, his voice laced with agony. "Where are you going?"

I hadn't realized I'd gotten out of the car or that I was walking. Maybe I was crazier than originally thought. But if anything in the world could stop me now, it was Jacob in pain, his face crestfallen. I tried to arrange my face into a smile, but I was sure it looked more like a grimace.

"An hour. I need an hour. I'll be in the woods." I managed to get out without my voice breaking. An hour to make myself presentable for the kids, an hour to cry myself out, an hour to leave Zack threatening voice mail messages.

"Okay." He said simply. I wondered if, after all this time, he still worried I might chose not to come back. He had no idea how much he meant to me. The three people in that house were the only things that tied me to Earth now, because I had severed ties with the person who had kept me through the ages.

I hadn't repaid her well for being my keeper, I thought as I walked through the dense woods behind our house. There was a path here, if I was to follow it, I'd end up at Jared and Kim's, but I didn't want to go that far. She had spent nearly three millennia making sure I didn't give up, dragging me through the years like a rock. I imagined it couldn't have been easy, but she hardly complained, and usually she just made fun of me. Sullen Beltane, her sister.

I owed her a lot more than I gave her, my life many times over would only start to make it even. And yet, I couldn't find it in my heart to bring her to my children, to watch nervously as they played, always afraid of a scrape or a cut. I sighed, and Rosalie…Rosalie loved Echo, and Echo couldn't even remember it. All the Cullens adored her, and they could love Blaze too. Was it really so bad, introducing children to people that would love them? Even if they were blood sucking vampires?

I sighed, and then remembered the real reason for coming out into the forest away from Jacob. I thought I had gone far enough in to summon my brimstone and hellfire fairy godmother.

I leaned lightly against a tree, I didn't really have to do much to get her here. It was something we'd discovered hundreds and hundreds of years ago, before the war. If Bella or I called, Jezebel would come. All we needed to do was say her name. It had never failed before.

"Jezebel." The word fell from my tongue like fire. It scorched the air around it, and yet nothing happened. I waited a few moments before I repeated myself, a little louder. I couldn't be too loud, though, Jacob would hear.

Still there was nothing. My world seemed to stop. It was bad, it was really bad. The danger Jezebel was talking about was coming soon, maybe was already here. I choked back a sob. She wouldn't come if she couldn't help me. I was lost, and I wouldn't go down alone, all of the pack would rise to try and help me, and they would fail. I could see in my mind the broken bodies, ripped apart by magic. Maybe running wasn't such a bad idea, leaving Jake and the kids safe away from me. _He'll come after you. He won't let you die for him. _My voice echoed in the back of my head. Who was I kidding? I couldn't picture going a day without Echo and Blaze's angelic faces. I was too selfish for my own good.

Finally, I broke down. My legs couldn't support my body anymore and I crumbled into the soft dirt. I don't know how long I sobbed brokenly there. By the time I stopped, my lungs hurt and my eyes were sore. I took a couple of deep ragged breaths.

"Are you alright?" Came a husky whisper from the path. I looked up, meeting Jacob's dark eyes.

"Thought I asked for an hour." I mumbled, resting my head on my knees.

"It's been an hour and a half." He said gently, looking at me like you might examine a wounded, spooked animal. "I was getting worried. It's going to rain soon."

"Oh." That was a good thing to say, minimal vocal chord effort. I felt that if I'd say much more, I'd end up in tears again.

"Cassie, look at me, please." He begged. His voice was closer now. He must have been kneeling on the ground in front of me. I looked up, taking a deep breath. He was closer than I anticipated, hovering anxiously inches in front of me.

"I'm fine Jacob." I muttered. He snorted, his warm hands caressing my cheek.

"Yeah, fine. Freaked out, Insecure, neurotic, and emotional." He murmured. I couldn't help but laugh, it sounded wrong, too sharp.

"I don't think I'm insecure."

"Yeah, but you always make sure I go out with my wedding ring on." He teased lightly, running his too big hand through my hair.

"That little tramp down at the souvenir store always hits on you…" I defended.

"She's fifteen Cassie, and you're a whole hell of a lot prettier." He said sweetly, kissing my forehead. We were silent for a long time, like he'd said, it did start to rain. It didn't matter to me though, I was protected under his form, and I knew the rain never bothered him.

"I want to take the kids to see them." I whispered, looking into his eyes, trying to communicate the urgency I felt there. "Please?"

He let out a sigh and was silent. I knew he was fighting himself. For some reason, using the word please was almost guaranteed to get me anything I wanted. It had worked to get him to not throw a fit when I bought a new car (using the money my dad had given me when I 'died') and it had even convinced him to have baby number two (I was still working on baby three, give it a year or two).

"I want to be there. If we're going to do this, one of us always has to be near them. You, me, maybe if Leah can control herself…" He pondered. "But not tonight. We'll arrange it so we're all safe."

Even when he said that, I could only barely manage a smile. Jacob's arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer to him, snuggled into his chest.

"You're worried about this Jezebel person." He stated. "Why?"

"She didn't come when I called her." I whispered, muffled. "She never ignored me."

"Maybe she can't hear you?"

"Something bad is going to happen, Jake. Something bad is going to happen to us." I pressed on. His eyes darkened and he pressed his lip against mine. Passion and molten fire ran down my veins. I was pretty sure after ten years you still weren't supposed to feel like this when your mate kissed you. Not that I wasn't glad I did.

"Nothing, I repeat, nothing is going to happen to us. I'll take on the world to keep all of you safe." He whispered. "Seriously, what's the worst that can happen, dragons?" He asked lightly again. This time I did truly smile.

"There we go. Now if you would just laugh like you really mean it, I'd have the perfect day again." He stood up and offered me his hand, dragging me gently to my feet. I laid my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.

"We've been through a lot." I murmured. "Do you think life would have been easier if you would have just imprinted on Bella?" I asked.

"Then you'd have had to marry Edward, and…wow, that's a disturbing mental image." He winced and I couldn't help but kiss him again.

"I don't think I'm Edward's type." I responded as we started to walk, our hands twined together. He squeezed my fingers gently.

"Nah. You have to be quite the man to handle a redhead." He said with a satisfied smirk. I snorted as our home came into view in the dreary fog of rain. Echo squealed as soon as she saw us, leaping up. Paul caught her before she could get off the porch, throwing her up on his shoulders.

"No running in the rain without a jacket, Coco." He said softly, but he didn't stop Prince from bolting from the porch, running to me. I grinned and knelt down, twisting my hands in his thick fur as he stuck his nose in my hair. I couldn't help but giggle as his tail started to wag. Jacob reached down to scratch behind his ear, before he continued walking up to the porch.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Echo yelled, her arms reaching for Jacob. He obligingly lifted her from Paul's shoulders.

"Uncle Paul broke the door and burned breakfast." She tattled, her eyes bright. Jacob just laughed, but she was looking at me now, her smile wicked. She just loved to see the 'big boys' get in trouble with her mother.

"You broke my door?! Why in the world did you break my door?" I questioned as I walked up the porch steps, Prince on my heels. "And you better not have given my kids burnt breakfast Paul or I'll…"

"Leah fixed breakfast!" Paul rushed to explain, his hands held out, a pleading look in his eyes. "And I wouldn't have had to break the door if you wouldn't have locked it! You could have gotten eaten!"

"Eaten?" Echo asked, her eyes locked on mine. "Mama, who was going to eat you?"

"Nobody, Echo. I was perfectly safe and fine."

"Yes, Paul just has a very big mouth." Jacob growled out, his eyes murderous as he carried her into the house. I rounded on Paul.

"Honestly! Just give her nightmares about people eaters!"

"That's what they are." He mumbled slightly, he probably didn't think I caught it. I huffed and turned away from him.

"Do you know it hurts him?" He asked before I could get the door open, low enough so Jacob couldn't hear. "It physically hurts him to even just see that scar on your arm, and he didn't put it there, Red."

And with that, Paul was gone. I couldn't even get out the rebuttal I had meant to make. It hurt Jacob, but I couldn't imagine how much more it hurt my sister.

"So when are we going to deal with this?" Leah was asking as I stepped into the kitchen.

"Paul's gone." I announced as I watched Blaze toddle around the kitchen.

"Probably at the bonfire on Friday, everyone will be there." Jacob said, only nodding in response to me.

"You're in trouble. How in the world could you leave the kids out here with Paul without waking me up first?" Leah said as she rinsed the pan out.

"I told him to wake you up." I defended. Leah could always be counted on to defend my powers and fighting prowess, but she would much rather I leave the kids in her capable hands whenever I did take off to do something reckless. I stood on tiptoe to kiss her cheek, taking the pan from her hand.

"I'll clean up, go play with Blaze." I ordered. Leah grinned at me and took off without a second word, scooping up Blaze into her strong arms as he giggled and squealed.

Jacob kissed me on the head before he left, toting Echo along to go fix the door handle on our bedroom window. I could hear them upstairs, Echo giggling while handing her dad tools, I think he was even letting her use the screwdriver. In the living room, Leah was making car noises with Blaze, and the water hit the pan in my hands, complete with burned on eggs.

It was hard to imagine anything going wrong, that any second this life could be over for me, when I was surrounded constantly by so much vivacious life.

Life that was more fragile than a butterfly.

Life that could be crushed like a soap bubble.

Life I would die to protect.


	6. Chapter 5: Eva Rose

**(AN) Zack and Stella are back! More Author's note at the end of this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own twilight!**

**Chapter 5: Eva Rose**

Friday morning was actually sunny. That managed to cheer Cassie up considerably when she put the kids in the car. Cassie had gotten her degree in art education before Echo was born, taking classes at the nearby community college and in Port Angeles. She worked at the school in La Push, teaching everything from elementary school art to Fine Arts IV in high school. It was a great job that meant she was never far from Echo and the reservation had no problem with her toting Blaze in and out of the art rooms. Part of their big 'family and community' philosophy.

Unfortunately, that meant that I was stuck all day with my two best friends in the mechanic's shop we ran in La Push. Not that we didn't still like each other, the awful part was that we were all imprinted. And we would gladly sever the necks of each other to spend more time with our girls.

"Claire wants to join the school track team. She's been asking me to take her on runs in the afternoon once school's out so she'll be ready for try outs in the fall." Quil babbled on Embry was unusually quiet.

"Embry, hand me that wrench?" I asked from underneath the car. Quil started to snicker.

"I think he's sleeping. You know, Dawn won't sleep through the night unless Colin's around." Quil muttered, tossing me the wrench.

"Heh, yeah, if Blaze goes a day without seeing Leah, he get's fussy. How old is Dawn now?" I asked as I examined the undercarriage of the car I was working on.

"I think she's almost a year, but hell if I know. I can hardly keep names straight, let alone ages. Let's see, Sam's kids are Abby, Emma, and Isaac. You have Echo and Blaze, then Kim and Jared have Daniel and Aaron and she's pregnant again, they think it's a girl this time. Or at least, Kim hopes it is, if she has another little dude Kim might just kill Jared. Embry and Lucy have Tyler and Dawn, Lucy wants one more before she's done…"

"So does Cassie, but she wants to wait another year. She wants a boy so we can have our own hockey team between all of us."

"We'll call them the mighty wolves." Quil said with a laugh. "Do you think all the boys are going to turn when they're older? Because if so the pack is going to be huge…"

I thought about that for a minute. There weren't usually any vampires running around, but I had a feeling that Cassie's presence would draw the Cullen's back time and time again. And of course, there was the fact that it could be that any foreign supernatural being would cause werewolves to spring up and Cassie was a witch. Not only that, if there already were werewolves, would our existence cause our sons to change? Anyway I looked at it, I saw only one answer.

"Probably, and maybe some of the girls too." I answered. "But you know…it won't be so bad for them like it was for us. It was all new when we came, all we had was old legends. Now we've experienced stuff first hand. Like, for example, we know that imprinting is a whole hell of a lot more common than it was supposed to be…" I snickered at that last part.

"Yeah, seriously. If Blaze turns…man, can you imagine how sickening it's going to be to have two people who've imprinted on each other in the pack? Unless Blaze doesn't imprint on Leah…shit, she'd be broken hearted."

"Don't ever mention that to her. Or think about it." I ordered. "Imprinting is a way to find a soulmate. If Leah was made for Blaze, Blaze has to be made for Leah." I defended quickly. The last think we needed was Leah moping about for the next fourteen years afraid my son wouldn't imprint on her.

"Besides, who knows if my kids will even turn into wolves? They are half witch." I stated easily.

"Yeah, they could be werewolves with the ability to light things on fire though. That would be freaking awesome." Quil announced. I rolled my eyes.

"I already have enough problems affording insurance for the house. That would be a very bad thing." I snapped back. We fell into amused silence once more as we went back to work, letting Embry sleep wherever the hell he'd passed out. I could hear footsteps approaching the building, as did Quil. He stood up, moving smoothly around the garage as the door opened.

"Hi y'all." A soft, musically familiar voice called with a southern twang. "Is Jacob Black in today?"

There was a pause while I waited to see what Quil said before I showed myself. Suddenly he made a noise of triumph. "You're Stella! His sister-in-law! Geesh, last time I saw you was in the hospital when Echo was born!" Quil announced.

"Stella?" I questioned, rolling out from under the car. Sure enough, I was looking up at a country blonde with a bright smile and dark shadows under her blue-purple eyes.

"Jake! Miss me?" She asked brightly as I stood and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"Of course. Where's Zack and Eva?" I asked.

"Present and accounted for." Zack said as he entered, my niece in his arms. I grinned and held out my arms.

"Hey Evie, do you remember your uncle Jake?" I asked, stooping down slightly to her level. The girl turned her head from where she was snuggled into Zack's chest and smiled slightly. She was a precious little thing, snow white pale with blonde hair that was braided into pigtails. Her eyes were partially obscured behind the pink frame of her glasses, but when she raised them to me I could see they were the same shade as her dad's amethyst eyes. She looked immeasurably tiny even for a four year old, like she was made of porcelain. I sensed immediately that there was probably a reason Zack and Stella looked so tired, kids shouldn't look so frail. I was just about to ask if she was okay when she reached her arms out for me and smiled. That smile was enough to break anyone's heart, I even heard Quil coo in the background.

"Warm." She stated as I wrapped her up in my arms.

"Yep, that's me. I'm better than a space heater." I joked as she buried her head in my shoulder. Quil stepped to my side, grinning.

"Hey kiddo, I'm Quil." He introduced. Eva didn't even glance at him, but shyly stayed quiet.

"Sorry man, she's a bit shy for strangers. She'll warm up." Zack explained. Quil shrugged.

"It's okay, I'm good with kids. She'll come around." He said with a laugh. "What's her name?"

"Eva Rose Luwen." Stella answered, linking arms with Zack. "Evie for short."

"Evie, cute name for a cute kid." Eva finally turned her head so she could look at Quil. She smiled hesitantly. "She's almost as adorable as Claire was."

"Hey now, you might be a little bit biased." Zack teased. "How is Claire?"

"Growing up too fast, of course." He said sadly.

"I'd think you'd be in a hurry for her to grow up." Stella pondered as she reached out to play with one of her daughter's braids.

"Nah, I don't really think about it too much, I mean, she's just a kid. You know, people are so happy when they're kids, then they grow up and they get this whole mess of phobias and insecurities. When you're a kid, you're just who you are."

"What he's really trying to say is he's worried she's gonna start dating some thirteen year old punk." I added in. "What's the name of that guy she's got a crush on, Quil?" He glared darkly at me and stalked away, muttering something. Zack laughed, shaking his head.

"Tell me you don't feel his pain." Zack challenged.

"He's in my head, of course I feel his pain. Be that as it may, Echo's not allowed to date until she's thirty anyway." I declared. Stella huffed and Zack nodded in agreement. "I guess you got Cassie's message? You've got some explaining to do."

"Hey, if I had a snapshot of the way you two looked in the hospital, you'd never blame us for keeping it to ourselves. When it comes to Jezebel, there's not a lot you can do. It would have just freaked Cassie out more, you know how long it took her to recover…"

Zack had no idea. Cassie had been able to act normal during the day after a few months, but it had been two years before she'd stopped waking up in the middle of the night crying. Two years full of agony.

"It's not me you have to explain things too. I'm fairly confident I can handle whatever is going to happen next. Nobody is going to get past me to Cassie, Echo, or Blaze."

"How is Blaze? Cassie sent me pictures of him last month." Stella started. "I've always wanted to come up and actually meet him, instead of just webcams and stuff, but it's so hard to travel with Eva. She's a little delicate."

"And fussy. She never stays asleep for more than an hour." Zack complained. "She has nightmares really bad."

"You two look like parents that have been through the ringer." I chortled, examining the shadows under their eyes again. "Stay with us while you're up here and we'll help take care of her so you two can sleep again."

"Oh Jake, we'd hate to impose…" Stella started.

"Where are you going to stay? There's no hotels in Forks, and Toni sold that house here. We have an air mattress, and you already said Evie's a little fragile, well, what better place for her than with family? Besides, Echo will be thrilled. We have a trundle bed in Echo's room that she can sleep on." I said, leaving no holes for argument.

"He does have a point, Ella." Zack said with a shrug. "It'd probably be more comfortable for Eva than any hotel."

"Are you sure Cassie won't mind?" Stella asked anxiously. "She seemed a little angry at us on the phone…"

"Pft, she'd probably kill me if I let you stay at a hotel. Besides, I'm covered for fire under my house insurance if she goes berserk." I joked.

"Good call, man." Zack said so seriously I couldn't help but chuckle more.

"You go help them get settled in, I'll wake up Embry." Quil offered and I nodded, handing Eva back to her father.

"Thanks a bunch, Quil, I owe you one."

"Yeah, permission to beat up that George kid if he ever tries anything with my Claire…" He mumbled under his breath. We all cracked up.

Zack followed me back to my home. Zack and I lugged bags into our home while Stella began to fix lunch. Stella's cooking was almost as good as Cassie's, and I woofed most of it down. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon getting reacquainted with my niece. I hadn't seen her in person since she was two, it was hard for them to travel with her and it was dangerous for the three witches to be in the same place in once since they were still wanted criminals in the coven.

"Did they ever stop looking for all of you?" I asked curiously as I tossed Eva up in the air. She squealed in delight, but Stella winced and shot me a glare. I smiled apologetically.

"They'll never technically 'stop'. But it's not their priority anymore." Zack explained, smiling as Eva giggled. "It's pretty safe for us right now, long as we don't head into any hot spots and stick to small towns."

I heard Cassie's car pull into the driveway and smiled. Echo was chattering as she climbed out of the car.

"Momma, whose car is that?" Echo asked, her voice drifting to my ears as the steps on the porch creaked.

"I think your Uncle Zack and Aunt Stella are here to visit. You'll get to meet your cousin again, do you remember her name?" Cassie asked as the door creaked open.

"Eva! Evie!" Echo called, running through the house. I set Eva down just as Echo burst into the living room, hugging her cousin insistently. Eva looked kind of shocked.

"Evie, I'm your cousin Echo. Mama says we're goin' to the beach tonight. Are you comin'?" Eva blinked a few times, stunned by Echo's exuberance. I could admit that Echo could be kind of overwhelming at times. But she slowly smiled, stunning me once more.

"Echo." She repeated. "Mommy, can I go to the beach with Echo?" She said, turning her gaze imploringly to Stella.

"If Aunt Cassie and Uncle Jacob ask us to go." Stella replied. "Come here Echo, can I have a hug?" She asked, holding her arms out, Echo smiled and danced over to Stella, tossing her arms around her neck.

I watched the door to the living room expectantly as I heard Cassie taking off Blaze's jacket and putting her purse away. When she appeared in the door, Blaze in her arms, I beamed. I didn't feel complete unless she was around, and when she returned home, it was like gravity was all back in order.

"Hey Sis!" Zack called happily as she walked into the room, standing up to greet her. He wrapped her in a tight hug and expertly pulled Blaze from her arms. "Aw, man Cass, he's a ginger too." He said dramatically.

"It's nice to have you here, Zack." She said warmly, sliding past him to Stella and greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. "I missed you guys, how's Eva?"

"She's feeling good right now, but it changes so much. We thought you were going to start yelling as soon as you got in the door." Stella admitted sheepishly as Cassie knelt down next to Echo and Eva.

"They look like little opposites." Cassie remarked as she gently brushed Eva's hair back from her face. Eva smiled brightly, and I could see her point. Next to Eva, Echo's skin looked quite tan and dark, and Echo's black hair couldn't be more different from Eva's light blond locks. But when they smiled, which they seemed to do in unison, they seemed like sisters. Cassie kissed Eva's forehead lightly.

"Mama, mama." Echo called, pulling on Cassie's shirt. "Can I show Evie my room?"

"Okay, no running up the stairs." Cassie insisted as Echo darted out the door, followed by a more wary Eva, who shot a look over her shoulder at her parents before climbing up the stairs. I could hear Echo babbling as her bedroom door opened. I returned my attention to Zack and Stella. Stella had somehow managed to get Blaze from Zack and had the toddler in her lap, grinning at him.

"Like I'd yell at you as soon as I got in the door. I'm madder than a mother bear whose cub just got sold on ebay, but I did miss you." Cassie explained as she slipped into my lap. I buried my head in Cassie's hair and inhaled.

"So, how did you know about Jezebel? Did Bella…?"

"No." Cassie interrupted. "Bella and I still haven't spoken…the rest of the Cullens came back. Jezebel paid them a visit, raving apparently. I tried to get her to come here, but she won't show. But none of the Cullens know what was said except Edward and Bella, apparently."

"Carlisle was there too, but knowing Jezebel, she probably played with his memory somehow. Or maybe he didn't understand what she was saying." Zack mused. "Are the girls alright?" He asked anxiously.

"They're fine. Echo's showing Eva her doll house." I assured him.

"She showed up at the hospital right after they let Jake see you." Zack continued on softly. "She looked deranged…more deranged than usual. Edward could read her thoughts. She went on about how she was the first of our kind, how she created the first vampire, stuff we've heard before."

"Then she started saying something else. That she brought the Cullen's together, that she planted the idea in Carlisle to save Edward. She'd been trying to protect all of us all along, that she actually summoned…that she summoned hope." Stella added, her eyes cast to the side. "She summoned me, and you, and Bella."

"She said she saw the third corruption. Another war." Zack continued where she picked off. Cassie hissed low in her throat.

"If she thinks for one minute I'm going to fight another war she can…"

"No, she didn't say that. She actually said…you and Bella couldn't stop it. That she was waiting for more lights to come into the world. Lights she couldn't summon." Zack rushed to explain.

"No…" Cassie whispered softly, her gaze anxiously resting on Blaze. "She didn't…she wasn't talking about…"

"The kids?" I finished, my eyes flicking to the steps where my little girl was playing. "Our kids? Over my dead body." I interrupted.

"Not just yours. Hope's too." Zack mumbled, glancing in Stella's direction. I noticed she was visibly paler. "That's why…that's why I think they were all born with witch eyes. They're special, they're marked."

"My children are not going to fight." Cassie said, her voice trembling. "They're not going to fulfill whatever apocalypse Jezebel is preaching."

"The question is…" Stella said softly, running her hand through Blaze's auburn locks. Tears glittered in her eyes. "Do any of us really have a choice?"

**(AN) So now Cassie and Jake finally know what went on in the hospital ten years ago, to say they're a little freaked out is an understatement. I'd just like you to know that this chapter introduces my second favorite character in the whole story, Eva Rose Luwen. Wonder why she's so special and why she's so frail? It'll be explained, although not for awhile yet. Eva is pretty much the most kind, gentle person on the face of the Earth. Echo and she will have a relationship very similar to the one Bella and Cassie shared. Here's a quote about her I hope to work into the story eventually (probably in the last part of the trilogy. It's from a much older Echo's POV).**

_**I drove down the highway at top speed, my foot probably slamming the gas pedal permanently into the floor of the car. I wasn't really worried about speeding tickets since Eva was in the passenger seat. My cousin's saint-like smile could probably end wars, getting me and Blaze out of our frequent speeding tickets was almost too easy. And if she couldn't get me out of one…Aunt Alice would have it taken care of by the time I got home. Mom and Dad remained blissfully ignorant. **_


	7. Chapter 6: Bonfire

**(AN) Oooh, a little cliffie! Don't kill me, all will be explained in time. More Eva, Echo, and Blaze by popular request (Who knew the little buggers would be so popular?) Next chapter is special, from Alice's POV. Hope you guys don't mind :-) It's no Bella's POV, but it might tide over the vampire-hungry.**

**Disclaimer: I in no way shape or form own Twilight. Sorry :-(**

**Chapter 6: Bonfire**

For the first time in almost nine years, I wanted a cigarette. I sighed, looking wistfully out over the waves, colored red by the twilight. It was amazing, the addictive powers of nicotine. I'd started smoking…what, in 1920? Three deaths, a husband, and two kids later, when it got tough I still wanted one smoke. I guess if I were to ever come forward I could probably prove it wasn't just your body that got addicted to smoking.

"Hey Red!" Seth Clearwater yelled, jogging to meet me at the shoreline. I turned my head from the ocean and managed a smile at him. He threw an arm around my shoulders, grinning. It was easy to forget how easy it was to be around Seth, he was probably the kindest person I knew.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, eying me skeptically.

_Like I'm falling apart._ I answered in my mind. "Determined." Was all I said out loud.

"We won't let anything happen to them, Cass. You're all our family. They're practically our kids too. I mean, Blaze is gonna be my brother in law someday…"

I wrinkled my nose. My little boy was far too young for Seth to be talking about him like that. I saw Leah laughing in the corner of my eyes.

"We're done talking about the Cullens…by the way. I know you were waiting for it to be over. You really do hate talking about them."

"You know me so well Seth." I remarked sourly. Seth just chuckled.

"You're practically my sister. Anyway…I guess it's decided that Jake, me, you, Stella, and Zack are all going to take the kids over. Zack and Stella think they should meet Eva too. Stella says Zack just misses talking war with someone who understands it."

Zack missing Jasper did make sense, they'd gotten along pretty well during their time in New York and over the holidays. "So I guess between all of us, the chances of something happening to the kids are pretty low?"

"Yep, we've got a small army around them. Leah wanted to go too, but Jake doesn't think she'll be able to control herself…" I looked at Leah and had to admit Seth had a point. Blaze or no Blaze, her temper was still legendary. "She's pretty pissed." Seth chuckled nervously, biting his lip.

Seth steered me back to the fire and squeezed me in between Jacob and Zack. I leaned on Jake's shoulder as I glanced around the fire. The pack was, for all intents and purposes, my family. Lucy and Kim were my best friends, Emily was like my surrogate mother. The boys were all my brothers and we loved each other. For the boys, it wasn't a choice. They had to like each other to be in their heads, and being in each other's heads meant that they always would have feelings for the other people's girls, they're imprints. And the girls…well, we meshed like sisters.

I looked over Emily's shoulder as Echo ran down the beach, her long hair streaming behind her like a black banner. Eva's hand was clasped firmly in her own. Little Eva had been shy at first, clinging to Stella for dear life, until she had seen Echo playing, racing with the other kids. Emma Uley was just a year older than her, while Tyler and Daniel (Embry and Jared's sons) were the same age, give or take a couple months. Isaac Uley was Blaze's age, and they sat together not far from the fire, throwing sand in the air while Leah looked over them like an overprotective nanny.

"Evie fits right in, Stella." Seth said, he was watching where I was, his lips twisted into a smile. "She warmed up to the other kids fast enough. Too bad she won't come near us."

"She gave me a hug!" Claire Young declared proudly, her voice musical in the midst. She was pretty, her brown hair was to her back, braided carefully. She was holding a marshmallow that Quil had speared over the fire with her cousin, Abby Uley.

"It's because you're so sweet Claire, nobody could be afraid of you." Quil said fondly, eating his own marshmallow. Claire blushed and looked pleased, her face darkening in a blush.

"I wanna have a bonfire for my thirteenth birthday." Claire stated. "I like these."

"Your wish is my command Claire-bear. We'll do a really big bonfire." Quil beamed. I winced, a really big bonfire usually meant trouble I had to fix later. A wolf howled in the woods and all our heads swung to the south. It was probably weird to an outsider to see that we didn't look scared, merely amused.

"Who's patrolling?" I asked with a nudge to Jake. He rolled his eyes.

"Paul. Seth was supposed to relieve him five minutes ago." Jacob answered, playfully glaring at Seth.

"Man, it's too fun to make him mad." The wolf howled again at Seth's words. "Alright, I'm coming." He said, rolling his eyes. Seth disappeared to the darkness, but my attention was taken away by the sweet little girl who buried herself in my arms.

"Aunt Cassie, can I have a marshmallow?" Eva asked, her big eyes pleading. Jake was on it before I could even shift Eva onto my knee.

"Do you want it brown and toasty?" Jacob asked, grinning. "Echo likes hers burnt."

"Not burnt." Eva said softly, her hands reaching out for the stick. Jacob carefully wrapped her small hands around it, turning his attention to Echo, who was demanding her own marshmallow.

"Hey kiddo!" Embry said as he walked around the circle, kneeling down by Eva. The whole pack was entranced by her, and they saw her shyness as a challenge. I think Seth and Brady were taking bets on which wolf she would warm up to first. Eva, not to be cooperative, quickly yanked her eyes from the fire and buried her head in my shoulder. Luckily, I managed to grab her stick with the marshmallow on it before it hit the ground.

"Embry, go away." I ordered, at the same time Lucy said "Embry leave the poor girl alone!" We both broke into laughter as Embry feigned hurt.

"Geesh…" Embry said, shaking his head. I heard a loud, booming laugh from behind us as Paul emerged from the woods.

"Embry, you scare small children." Paul tormented, a mocking smile on his face. I rolled my eyes.

"I have two small children, I certainly don't scare them. You on the other hand…" Embry said, his eyes casting anxiously around for his kids, his smile faltering a bit as he saw his baby daughter, Dawn, in the arms of Colin. Colin had imprinted on her when she was only a few days old, and they were nigh inseparable. Embry had already lectured him three times on what was acceptable behavior around his daughter.

"Betcha she likes me better." Paul challenged.

"You're on, fifty bucks." Embry accepted, his eyes gleaming.

"Evie, I want you to remember this later on, boys are really stupid." Zack whispered into her ear. I felt her smile against my skin.

"Evie, is it?" Paul asked, leaning down. "That's a pretty name for a pretty girl. I'm Paul."

Eva was still for a few moments, before she peeled away from my skin and looked up at Paul curiously from under her glasses. I turned to look back at Paul and Embry, intending to yell at them for putting a kid in the middle of their bet. The look on Paul's face stopped me dead in my tracks.

Paul looked like a blind man seeing the world for the first time. His entire face was slack with surprise. He reached out tentatively. The expression in his eyes was pure adoration.

"You guys are right." He whispered. "Gravity does move."

"What?" Zack asked, "What are you talking about?" Panic creeping into his voice. I knew that feeling.

"No way, no friggin' way." Embry said, swearing lightly under his breath. And then, something happened that shocked us all. Eva's arms moved, holding them out for Paul, squirming to go to him. I let her go in surprise as Paul deftly swung her into his arms. Despite the fact that Eva was so small, and Paul was impossibly huge, Eva seemed to belong there.

"Paul? My Paul?" She questioned the smile returning to her angelic features.

"Of course. All yours." Paul mumbled, he still looked shocked.

"No. No no no no no." Zack muttered as he stood his eyes angry. "Not on my girl."

"Zack…" Stella said softly.

"Zack!" Jacob yelled, darting up, nearly dumping Echo out of his lap. "Before you freak out, I want you to remember that I'm always going to be in Paul's head. I'm going to know exactly what he's doing with her all the time."

Zack considered that, his face relaxing, although he still looked like he was ready to rip Eva from Paul's arms. "You're going to know what he's thinking?" Zack questioned.

"Yep, and don't think I won't hesitate to tell you if it's inappropriate. Then we can beat him up together." Jacob soothed. "She is my niece."

Zack looked at me, I shrugged. "It worked out really well for me, Zack."

"You were nineteen, she's four." He sputtered.

"Zack." I said softly. "Listen to me. She is never going to be lonely. If she's scared, he's going to protect her. If she's hurt he's going to be the one to cry. The only way he can ever be content is if she's happy. He'd do anything for her. Someday, she's probably going to feel the same way." I whispered the last part, but I knew everyone heard it. My eyes had left Zack and now trained on Jacob, the smile on his face was ridiculously goofy, and I think that gave my words more weight than anything else. An imprinted werewolf was hopeless.

"What's impwinted?" Blaze asked quietly, looking at Leah, breaking the silence. I couldn't help but giggle, it joined a few other laughs in the air.

"I imprinted on you." Leah explained quietly. "It's a good thing, it means we'll be best friends forever."

"Ever?" Blaze questioned, smiling. "Lela. Lela." He chanted, holding out his arms. Leah lifted him up, settling him on her lap.

"Mr. Luwen." Claire spoke up from the corner shyly. "Quil imprinted on me when I was two…I always knew, I guess, that the world was a magical place. And I know that most of the time imprints end up together later, when they're older, but…Quil always told me the first priority was how I felt. If I choose to be his…girlfriend…" She blushed deeper, her eyes lowering. "When I'm older, it's okay, but if we want to be just friends…he won't force me into anything. I trust him. Right now, it's enough that he's my best friend."

"That was very well said Claire." Emily said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. Quil looked so proud it was humorous. Every couple looked at each other. The way we saw it, imprinting was a blessing. It had saved Kim from a life spent constantly in the shadows, made her visible again. Thanks to Embry and the pack, Lucy had gotten out from under the domineering ways of her parents, Emily had finally found the family she'd always longed for, the large extended kind that was invincible in its closeness. I'd found redemption, peace, and acceptance in the pack, all because of my Jacob.

"If you hurt her in any way shape or form I'll rip you limb from limb Paul." Zack threatened.

"I'd gladly lie down and let you do it if she wanted it." Paul grinned. I looked over my shoulder at him, shaking my head. A big tough wolf, reduced to a grinning idiot in the presence of a four year old girl. I doubted he'd taken his eyes off her at all since their eyes had met. I shook my head wordlessly. He was surely Eva's Paul now.

It was funny how she already knew that. I wondered if it was the witch in her. Hadn't I known, the first time I saw him, that Jacob was mine? I was almost approximately in the same place I'd been when I first saw him talking to Jessica Stanley. I'd looked up and saw him standing there, looking at me like I was the most beautiful creature on Earth. I suppose I was, to him anyway. It had taken my almost a year before I finally coaxed the whole story of how we'd met. Quil had been in the woods with him when he imprinted, along with a more hot-tempered, younger Leah. That's how they'd all known to show up at the beach, they'd wanted to meet me. I'd fallen asleep on his arm, he'd taken me back to my house. Just after he had put me in bed, he had whispered to me that he loved me. And I had smiled. According to him, every time I fell asleep before he did, he would still whisper it to me, and I smiled every single time. So hadn't I always known?

Zack and Stella knew from the moment they met each other that they could take on the world, Bella and Edward (It hurt to think their names more than it should) had been drawn to each other from the very beginning, and the night I'd met Jake, I had fallen hopelessly in love with him. All these changes were as sudden as an earthquake, and yet life was never quite the same ever again. A soul could recognize its match instantly, I learned, all we had to do was let go of reason.

"Mamma." Echo's voice tugged me out of my daydream.

"What do you mean I still have to pay him fifty dollars?! How was I supposed to know he'd imprint on the kid!" Embry ranted in the background. I looked down at Echo.

"Mamma, your stick is on fire." She continued nonchalantly. I looked over, surely enough the marshmallow I'd been roasting had burned charcoal black, and the stick was on fire. A flame licked across my wrist and I dropped the stick more out of shock than anything else. I was human enough. I bled if you cut me, I needed to sleep and eat, but burning me never produced any results, no matter how hot the flame. Nevertheless, Jake was there, gently taking my wrist in his hand.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, concerned as he flipped over my wrist. I rolled my eyes.

"Jake, we've had this discussion, I could walk through fire and still be alright…"

"You're not alright." Jake whispered. Everyone was silent again and I looked down. I felt alright, but the way Jacob said it made me feel scared. I flexed my fingers, they seemed to be working right, but then my eyes drifted to my wrist and I gasped. I held out my other wrist, hoping that somehow I'd managed to confuse my right and left wrist, but both arms were blank.

The star shaped mark on my wrist that I'd lived with was gone. The mark of the coven I'd quit had stayed with me, a reminder of my past. I'd only been without it once…when my powers had been stolen from me. The memory rushed back to me too easily, slimy hands over my skin, a dark alley and a balmy night, eyes such a dark purple they seemed like the color of black holes, a wrist that snapped in the night, my sister in danger…

_He's dead. He's dead. He's dead. _My mind chanted. I flinched away from Jake's hand, pulling my wrist closer to my body. The skin on my wrist when Mabon had stolen my power had been bloody, raw, burnt. My skin now looked perfectly clear, not as if my mark had been stolen from me, but as if it had never existed. When I concentrated, I could still feel the power running through my veins, coming to the forefront of my skin as I called it, the flames burst from my hand. I sighed in relief.

"Mama, what's wrong? Are you on fire?" Echo asked, her voice near tears. This was enough to snap me out of my panic. The fire went out in my hand and I grasped Echo closer to me, pulling her into my lap.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong, sweetheart, mommy is fine." I reassured her. Jacob didn't look quite so convinced.

"Cassie." Stella said softly, her sleeve rolled up, her right arm outstretched in front of her. Zack stood beside her, similar in posture. I took a deep shaky breath as I looked at their wrists, unblemished, free of the star that we'd abandoned.

"Well, I guess they kicked us out." Zack said feebly.

"I don't think they can do that. The only two people capable of performing the ritual to expunge a witch are me and Jezebel and I doubt Jezebel would."

"I don't doubt Jezebel's capability of changing things to get her way." I muttered.

"Will one of you please tell us what's going on before I get old?" Sam mumbled. I held Echo a little closer, watching as Leah mimicked my actions with Blaze.

"I wish I could." Zack said, casting his eyes anxiously at Eva. "Trust me, I wish I could."


	8. Chapter 7: When I Ruled the World

**(AN) Okay, this chapter has a lot of information, I know. It's all from Alice's POV, the first part is a flashback to a couple weeks in the past, the second part is the present, and the last part is Alice having a vision of the future. More AN at the bottom. (Side note, this is the longest chapter I have ever written. Also, the song Jezebel is singing is Viva La Vida by Coldplay. If Jezebel were to have a theme song, that would be hers) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, promise.**

**Chapter 7: When I Ruled the World**

_She was singing. This girl was full of surprises. Her unkempt appearance had most of the vampires we lived with fleeing from her like the plague. She gave off a dark, foreboding vibe, but I wasn't afraid. _

_The visions I had of her were so confusing. Some of them seemed to exist in the past, and not the future. I'd see her on our front porch, the next in a fancy ball gown that was more at place in the seventeenth century. I was curious, because it seemed this witch didn't exist in time the same way the rest of us did. _

_"I used to rule the world. Seas would rise when I gave the word…Now in the morning I sleep alone. Sweep the streets I used to own…" She sang softly. I edged closer, taking in her long, tangled hair. I could do wonders with that hair._

_"Jezebel? Would you like something to eat?" I asked politely. She'd been here nearly a day, and I hadn't even heard her stomach growl in hunger. She ignored me studiously, continuing to sing softly._

_"For some reason I can not explain, I know Saint Peter won't call my name. Never an honest word and that was when I ruled the world…" She sung. I was not easily deterred. _

_"Anything, a cigarette maybe?" I questioned again. This snapped her from her reverie. She looked at me critically._

_"Cigarette?" She repeated. Ah ha, I knew she'd smelt like cigarette smoke when she first got here. I pulled a pack of cigarettes from my pocket with a flourish, nasty smelling things. _

_"They're the same brand Cassie used to smoke. I hope that's okay?" I asked. She held out her hand and I placed them there along with a pack of matches. I could have sworn I saw her lips twitch. She lit one of the cigarettes and took a long drag, the smoke drifting from her pale lips. I flinched away from the smell._

_"So do you survive on cigarettes alone?" I asked. There was silence. I let out a loud sigh, giving up._

_"Do you think I'm crazy Mary Alice?" She asked just as I turned to go into the house. I froze._

_"How do you know my name is Mary Alice?" I asked quietly. Nobody had told me about this._

_"I was there when they brought you to the asylum. It was in Biloxi, isn't it? Your sister sobbed her little heart out and you were such a little thing…but you weren't frightened. Not until the tracker came." Her face darkened. "He liked you, the monster who worked there. He said you were like his songbird, he always wanted to change you." _

_"Why didn't you save me?!" I asked, rounding on my heel. She smiled peacefully._

_"I could save you from the vampires, but not from yourself, Alice. The visions would have driven you truly insane eventually. She said softly. "You didn't have the mental capacity to deal with them, lovely. Besides…you were meant to be a vampire. You found your Jasper." _

_For some reason, this explanation made sense to me. I sighed, reaching out to gently touch Jezebel's hand._

_"No. I don't think you're mad." I answered. She looked up, her eyes meeting mine._

_"Do you trust me?" She asked. I nodded. She raised her hand hesitantly, brushing back my spiky hair. Then she placed her fingers against my temple. I felt like I was being jerked forward and I stepped back quickly. Jezebel's glowing purple eyes, clouded with black mist, still stared at me, but I was no longer at our home in Alaska. _

_"Where are we?" I asked softly, but I already knew the answer, or at least half of it. _

_"La Push. Six months from now roughly." She answered. For the first time in a long time, I felt genuinely shocked. _

_"No way. We're not just watching the future, we're in it?" I asked, walking behind her at a human pace through the quiet woods. Too quiet._

_"You think of time as a line…but it's not." She said quietly. "Imagine a Venn diagram, which each moment in time interlacing with the rest. At that point where all the lines cross…that's where I exist. I live in the moment of uncertainty. Sometimes I don't even know when I am."_

_"That's your power? Your talent?" I questioned, curious._

_"One of them. There used to be two others like me." She explained. "One's dead, the other is cursed. I took her powers from her. That's how I was tainted." _

_I winced, remembering her eyes. "Why is the one cursed?" The mist filled eyes turned to me again, full of sadness._

_"Because I couldn't bear to kill her. Because I loved her." She whispered. "And millions of deaths since rest on my conscience." I felt pity for her at once, could I bear to kill someone I loved for the greater good? I shuddered to think about it. Then I smelt it…it smelled like death._

_"What is that?" I asked, revolted. Jezebel's face fell, and she gestured me on, through the trees. I took the last step into a clearing and let out a strangled cry._

_Death, death and dead bodies and fresh blood. I ran now to the center of the clearing, stopping as I got to the first of the bodies._

_They were beautiful, even in death. Zack was the closest to me, his body broken and limp, blood running from a neck snapped almost clean off. His hand was outstretched, reaching for the body to his right. Stella's golden hair was matted with her blood, her torso bent at an inhuman angle. A flash of red caught the corner of my eye and I forced myself to turn and look. Cassie, my Cassie, was closest to the wolves. I wondered if she'd been the last of the witches to die. Her eyes were still human, staring deadly at the cloudy sky. There was a mark on her neck, and I knew she'd been drained dry. She looked like a broken doll. I looked back, the wolves were all clumped together. They weren't bleeding, but each neck had been snapped._

_"The one vampire, Alec, I believe his name was, had the ability to deprive them of their senses. The only ones invulnerable were the witches. They fought…but they didn't stand a chance." Jezebel said softly. I touched Jacob's fur softly. He was cold…so cold._

_"The Volturi were here?" I whispered, disbelieving. "They found out…how…?"_

_"Something involving the clan in Denali. It was unintentional, they meant no harm." Jezebel answered. If I could cry, I would have._

_"It gets worse, Alice." Jezebel said softly, taking my hand. Suddenly, I was in the midst of the small town of La Push. I felt my knees go weak, another first. Dead bodies lined the streets. Humans…most of them. I noticed a small wolf to the side…not much more than a child by the looks of it. He'd transformed too late to help anyone, had probably been picked off easily. I walked down the street, trying hard not to examine the faces too closely._

_"Here, turn here." Jezebel said, I followed unconsciously as she led me down a deserted road, to a house surrounded by trees._

_"Emily and Sam's home." She said softly. "They had no time to run, they had to hide everyone here." _

_I gulped, the door had been wrenched open. The first body lay half out of it, her face lovely, marred by scars._

_"That's Emily. She begged the vampires to leave them alone." Jezebel whispered. Behind her were two more bodies, older women, Kim and Lucy from what Bella had told me. One of them was pregnant. Had they tried to beg too? The blood was overpowering, I held my breath and followed the path through the house. The living room light was still on. A young girl, no more than twelve, was slumped in front of the couch. _

_"Claire. Her name was Claire, she was supposed to turn thirteen a week after this happened. She tried to fight them off, broke her hand in the process. They thought it was funny." Quil's Claire. I stroked her soft brown hair, a brave little girl._

_"Behind the couch, Alice." Jezebel said softly. I looked behind the couch and nearly doubled over in disgust._

_Bodies…eight of them. I sobbed dryly, fragile little children's bodies, none older than ten. Each broken, bloody. _

_"They went fast, at least, these ones. The pack's children." Jezebel said, caressing a small head. "Only eight though." _

_Only eight, and none looked familiar. I looked around, spotting what I was looking for in the corner._

_They looked more horrific than the other bodies. I wonder if they'd been singled out for their eyes, violet as their parents. The body closest to me looked mangled, barely recognizable, but for the long dark hair that gleamed reddish in the light. Echo. I couldn't look at her, so I turned my attention to the two behind her, a blonde girl with snow white skin, broken like a doll. The youngest, a boy with auburn hair, didn't seem so bad, only broken once or twice, but there were tears running down his face still. He'd been last, he'd seen it all. _

_I slowly knelt down and picked up his small body, cradling it in my arms. Dry sobs ripped from my chest. "Why did you bring me here?" I whispered. _

_"This is a moment in time that can still be changed. They don't have to die." Jezebel said._

_"If we go back…even if we can't get Bella to go…" I began. _

_"You'll all die too." She answered. "Ostara must go back."_

_I nodded, determined. I couldn't make Bella go back, but Cassie could. The world shifted around me, I felt like I was being jerked again. I was back on the porch, my arms were empty, and Jezebel was gone. _

_"Alice?" Jasper was there, his voice panicked as I sunk to the porch. I could only imagine the emotions I was giving off._

"Alice?" His voice cut through the memory and brought me back to the present. I looked up at him and tried to smile, sending all the love I could toward him.

"You're thinking about what she showed you again. I wish you would tell somebody besides me Alice…we'll drag Bella here if we have to. Cassie's like a little sister to all of us." Jasper stated. I kissed his cheek.

"I don't think I can…it wasn't for Bella, it was for me to see. There was a reason Jezebel didn't take her, a reason she took me instead." I cocked my head, trying to think of the reason. Jezebel seemed to be operating on a different playing field from the rest of us, her origins were a mystery to everyone it seemed.

Jasper kissed me, letting every ounce of love flow from him and into me. I grinned.

"Will you two stop it! They're pulling onto our street now!" Rosalie yelled up the stairs. I giggled, pulling away from Jasper with one last final kiss and darting downstairs. Everyone was in the living room, staring intently at the door. We'd done everything possible to childproof the house (there wasn't a lot left to do, we'd previously Bella proofed the house when she was human so she couldn't hurt herself). All sharp corners were rounded, there was a safety gate on the stairs, and everything sharp and pointy was put up where they couldn't get their hands on it. Outside, Emmett and Jasper had erected a swing set on the soft grass complete with its very own tree house, where I'd put a mountain of toys. Excitement wasn't a good enough word for the feeling covering each of us. It was a relief too, finally seeing someone you loved again.

Their car crunched on the gravel and Esme was out the door. We'd decided she should be the first one the kids saw, because she was the least threatening looking out of all of us. I was at the window now, pressed almost against it as Rosalie peeked from higher up. I heard Emmett and Jasper laughing softly behind us as Carlisle lingered in the door.

Two cars had pulled into the driveway. Cassie was the first one out, her red hair glimmering in the light as she pulled open the backseat door. Jacob was out seconds later at the other door, fiddling with a car seat expertly. Stella and Zack were talking in their car, and I saw Zack lean in to give Stella a sweet kiss before they both got out. Zack was the one that went to the backseat of their car, Stella was walking up the porch steps.

"Esme!" She called brightly. I noticed with a smile she still had that precious southern accent. Esme folded her into a gentle hug, smiling sweetly.

"Stella, I'm so happy to see you." She said softly. Stella grinned brightly back as Cassie and Jake made their way up the steps. In Cassie's arms was the sweetest looking little boy I'd ever seen, his dark auburn hair shaggy and unruly, smiling with adorable dimples. My heart soared, he was alive and happy. Jacob followed her, his arms wrapped protectively around Echo, whose violet eyes were trained on Esme curiously. Zack was the last one, the pale girl in blue with long, pin straight blond hair had her face pressed against his shoulder shyly.

"Esme, you've already met Echo. That's William," She pointed to the boy in Cassie's arms. "But everyone calls him by his middle name, Blaze. And last is my daughter, Eva. She's a little shy."

Cassie kissed Blaze's forehead as he turned from her to look at Esme. "Blaze, Echo, this is your grandma Esme." Cassie said softly. Echo's eyes lit up, I remembered faintly that she didn't have a grandmother, Jacob and Cassie's moms were both dead.

"Hello dears." Esme said softly, moving closer to Cassie. Blaze smiled brightly at her, impatiently pushing his hair from his eyes.

"Essie." He said in his childish voice. Esme offered her arms and Cassie carefully shifted him into them. Esme's face was aglow with happiness.

"You smell a lil funny. Like too much candy." Blaze offered. Jake chuckled immediately, trying to turn it into a cough as Cassie turned to him. Esme just smiled.

"I'm sorry dear. Here, I'll give you to your father." Esme said musically, handing Blaze to Jake. He deftly rearranged Echo so he was shouldering her in one arm and Blaze was in the other. She then turned to Cassie and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I've missed you, Cassie. It's not quite as bright around without you." She whispered. I saw tears well up in Cassie's eyes, which she wiped away deftly.

"I think you smell fine." Echo piped up. I heard Cassie giggle and Esme turned her lovely smile on Echo.

"Hello sweetheart, you were just little when I saw you last." Esme said. Echo squirmed in her father's arms.

"Daddy, I want down." She whined. Jacob rolled his eyes, gently setting her on her feet. She walked the last few steps to Esme, who knelt down so she was on her level. "I don't remember you. I'm sorry." Echo mumbled, her skin darkening. Esme laughed again, her hand reaching out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

"It's okay darling, you were very little. Is it alright if I hug you?" Esme asked uncertainly. Echo smiled brightly and nodded. Esme's arms wrapped too gently around her tiny frame, squeezing her lightly.

"You're very beautiful, Echo." Esme said softly.

"Thank you." She said sweetly. "Evie's prettier, but she's shy. Mama said there were a lot of people who wanted to meet us." She looked around. Rosalie took that as her cue, at the door instantly. She walked out slowly, cautiously. Jake glared at her.

"You're doing nothing to disprove those dumb blonde jokes by wondering into werewolf territory in the middle of the night." He murmured low enough Echo couldn't hear. Unfortunately, Zack did hear. He punched Jacob on the shoulder, enough for Jacob to feel it at least.

"Hey what was that…"

"My wife and daughter, dumb dog." Zack mumbled, grinning softly at Eva. Jacob's smile faltered and Stella laughed. Rosalie ignored this, cautiously kneeling next to Echo.

"Hi Echo, I'm Rosalie." She said softly. Echo looked up at her and broke into a wide smile.

"You're my princess! Mama, mama, look, she's the princess that was at my window!" Echo turned to Cassie, taking her hand and pulling her forward. Cassie smiled.

"Her name is Rosalie, darling, and she's not a princess. She's just an old friend that wanted to see you." Cassie explained.

"I hope I didn't scare you." Rosalie offered.

"I wasn't scared. You're pretty enough to be a princess. Almost as pretty as mommy." Echo went on. Rosalie beamed.

"Well, your mommy isn't a princess either." Rosalie said softly, taking Echo into her arms.

"Daddy calls her princess sometimes. He calls me a princess too." Echo said proudly.

"That's cause you're both spoiled rotten." Jacob said lightly. Echo wrinkled her nose.

"I am not Daddy!" She pouted prettily. Jacob laughed.

"Are too, but you're so cute I don't care." Jacob responded, adoration shining in his brown eyes. The mutt might be overprotective and ridiculous, but it was undeniable how much he loved his family. I decided it was my turn to make an entrance. Carlisle had joined the group on the porch and was hovering over Blaze, so I made for the only child who hung back. Eva clutched her father's shirt tightly.

"She's really shy Alice. She hasn't even warmed up to the pack yet. Well, except Paul, stupid dog imprinted on her." He said softly. My lips twitched. Poor Zack.

"She'll warm up to me." I said with confidence. "Hi Eva, I'm Alice."

Eva turned to look at me. I didn't know it was possible for a four year old to look skeptical. I laughed, and then I was sucked right out of my body as the vision played in front of my eyes.

_The room was completely done in pink. It was the kind of room I would have designed if I had a daughter. Eva and I had very similar tastes. I watched as the door opened and the blonde girl made her way inside, throwing down a backpack. I was following behind her, two bags in my hands. She must have been thirteen, but it was hard to tell. I had a feeling she was always going to look a little small for her age._

_"Okay Alice, let's see what you bought for me." She said softly, sounding amused. "I don't think that brown top is going to work on me, but it'll probably fit Echo." The future me stopped to look at her, eyes narrowing._

_"How do you know I've brought you anything?" I asked. Eva giggled, raising an eyebrow and grinning. I wrinkled my nose, my fun gone. _

_"Annoying future-seeing sprite." I mumbled._

_"Pots and kettles, Alice, pots and kettles." She sang as she took the first bag off me and looked through it. "Don't pout Alice, I didn't mean to ruin your fun." She begged softly as I collapsed on a bean bag chair. "I'll let you dress me up in every outfit, and you can do my hair and makeup too. I promise."_

_The future me grinned. _

My vision cleared and I was staring at two pairs of violet colored eyes, Zack and Eva's.

"What'd you see?" Zack asked curiously. I plucked Eva out of Zack's arms. She didn't cry, although she did look hesitantly at her father.

"Eva and I are going to be best friends." I assured him, smiling.

**(AN) Wow, tons of information in this chapter. One of Jezebel's powers is finally revealed. It's a little quantum in nature, but the way I picture Jezebel is that she doesn't actually exist in any one moment, but exists in every moment. She simply chooses which moment she is consciously aware of being in, but she's frequently pulled into the past and future without really being able to control it. That's why she tends to disappear off the face of the earth for a couple decades at a time. It might also be why she's kinda crazy. Also, if you hate this chapter and want to kill me, you're not alone. I bawled when I wrote this, deleted it a couple of times, but I feel like I needed this chapter to be here to show how awful things could end up. But Jezebel was right when she said it was only a possibility and that the future could change. Hopefully it will. Writing the kids deaths was the hardest part for me. I had to call Mateo to calm me down before I could finish writing. Sorry guys :-( Last, but certainly not least, Eva's talent is revealed (but only to Alice, and she doesn't see the future quite the same way Alice does). "Pots and kettles, Alice. Pots and kettles." Is one of my favorite quotes of all time. One person guessed this (How I don't know. I barely even dropped any hints! I think BethJavensen might be a random split personality I'm not completely aware of. Or she's hacking into my computer and reading my notes). Lots of future telling in this story :-) **


	9. Interlude: Miles to Go Before I Sleep

**(AN) Okay, so this is an interlude. I plan on having these little less than 1000 words chapters every 5-10 chapters. They explain a lot of back story for characters that are important, but whose stories never came up in WWR. This first one is from Jezebel's POV and reveals a couple important things. First, Jezebel has always lied about it being her sister who succumbed to evil and her brother being killed. I can't really blame her for lying about this, but knowing the truth makes it easier for everyone to realize why she didn't stop her. Second, Jezebel is always fighting that darkness in her. Kind of like how the Cullen's are always fighting their thirst. It also reveals a new character, Pandora (Yes, **_**that**_** Pandora!) who is the crux of the rest of the plot :-) The poem Jezebel recites at the end is Robert Frost's Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.**

**Disclaimer: I actually **_**do**_** own all the characters in this chapter :-) **

**Interlude: Miles to Go Before I Sleep**

I was hidden from the city below me, cloaked in the dark shadows. I could see this city stretching around me covered in brightly colored lights. The darkness surrounding me grew darker, but I didn't turn to see the source of this darkness.

"If you're debating throwing yourself off the tower, I will stop you." The darkness whispered. "Your suicide attempts are growing quite old, Jezebel. I love you too much to let you die like that."

"Love. The best and worst of things." I mumbled under my breath. The shadows sighed, reaching toward me. "Please don't touch me." The shadows retreated, hurt. I took a step closer to the ledge.

"Where am I?" I asked softly, I couldn't quite recall how I'd ended up here, perhaps I'd been wondering and just ended up at this place.

"London, Jezebel. You're on top of the clock. I think they call it big Ben." The shadows sighed, exasperated. I nodded, looking down. The gleaming clock face read two in the morning.

"Jezebel…please step away from the edge." The voice called. I complied, knowing all too well that she would save me if I threw myself from the top. She had before.

"It's not too late." I whispered. The darkness sighed.

"The way is set. The path is lit. You can still choose my side, Jezebel. It's never too late for you to do that. Where do you stand?" The darkness stood next to me now, and I felt a cold hand grasp my own with a love and tenderness that made my heart ache. "Where does your heart lie?"

"With you." I answered. The honesty nearly cut me in two, nearly caused me to stumble. "It'll always be with you." Tears blurred behind my eyes. I could us as we had been, two innocent children with the world at our command, running through the forests, flowers in our hands, hair trailing behind us, laughter ringing in the air like the sweetest music. A boy ran in front of us, younger than we, his smile dazzling when he turned to us. He was gone, I reminded myself. Nothing could bring him back.

"I love you still, Jezebel. I'm doing this for you. We could change everything, Jezebel…we could bring him back…make the world right." The darkness cooed. I shook my head, the images were too tempting.

"What is done cannot be undone." I whispered.

"We have no limits." The darkness said, more insistently. "I made a mistake. I know better now. We can fix it. I need you, Jezebel. Come back to me."

I didn't answer. My name didn't just pour from the darkness, but came from somewhere far away, somewhere far to the west. My mind pulled me toward it, like a mouth to a flame. "Beltane is calling."

"Go then." The darkness said, pulling away from me. I turned to look at it. The darkness flowed from a slender body, tall and strong. She was more beautiful than any mere mortal, more beautiful than even a vampire. She was Snow White for me, hair like ebony, skin like snow, and lips stained red with blood not her own. She was icy cold, hard as marble, and had eyes that glowed luminescent burgundy. Her hair seemed to be constantly in movement, flowing in a non existent wind. And from around her the darkness seemed deeper, and like it was moving with her hair, long sweeping tentacles.

"I love you." She whispered. "You have my heart as well. I will keep this world for you and you alone."

Parts of me yearned for her like nothing in the world, more than air and water, more than food and cigarettes. The part that always fought the rest, the darkness that yearned for its maker, reached for her now. And the other part of me…the part of me that was still that same invincible girl, wanted simply to embrace her and make everything alright.

It was not alright. Nothing would ever be alright for us ever again. She was my love, my life, who had given into temptation, which had killed our son. I took a deep, shaky breath as I stepped closer to the edge. The city below me teemed with life. They went about their way unknowing of the darkness that was silent above them, of the predator that waited in the shadows.

"I will continue to walk this world alone, Pandora." I whispered as I stepped off the edge. Above London, I fell from the clock, feeling gravity drag me down. And then it was gone, and I was lying on soft green grass. I opened my eyes, taking in the towering trees above me. I was close now, so close to the light.

"Whose woods these are I think I know…" I mumbled softly, reciting the poem in my head as I walked through the clearing, the clearing where all those souls would die if time did not change.

"These woods are lovely, dark and deep," I began the last stanza just as I reached the trees, sliding under their grasping branches. What wouldn't I give to just rest here awhile?

"But I have promises to keep." So true, hadn't I promised to save this world?

"And miles to go before I sleep." I stopped, staring out at the winding path. It seemed to stretch on forever and my glorious immortal body was tired. I forced my feet to move, walking the path alone.

"And miles to go before I sleep." I whispered into the wind.


	10. Chapter 8: Tattoos

**(AN) Wow, this chapter gets a little steamy towards the end . Hehe, sorry! My favorite part of the chapter is the Eva/Paul/Zack action down at the bottom. Someday Zack is going to hit Paul, just because it'd be amusing for me to write! But don't worry, they'll figure it out, probably…Also, the blonde and redhead jokes are my tribute to Jake in Breaking Dawn :-) Also, if you go on my profile, there's a link to a photo bucket album with a whole lot of WWR/EoF icons. I've actually done character icons for almost all the kids (can't find someone for how I picture Blaze, grr.), and a couple quotes. There's a couple really cute Eva/Paul icons too. Check it out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight…sadly…**

**Chapter 8: Tattoos**

I glared out at the yard, decorated into some children's play land. Echo was climbing a rung ladder up to the top of their swing set, laughing loudly as she scrambled like a monkey. I had to admit, I was proud, she scaled it like nobody's business and much quicker than her mother had been able to. That had been funny, when Echo had begged her mother to go up to the "tree house" with her. Cassie now sat on the wooden platform, her legs swinging as she watched Echo climb the ladder.

Looking at Cassie's face was all it took for me to be happy. She was talking to Alice and beaming brightly, like she'd just gotten the best Christmas present in the world. Alice scaled the ladder next to Echo, letting my girl beat her to the top. Echo threw her arms around her mother and kissed her on the cheek, before disappearing into the little house. Alice was giggling as she threw herself down beside Cassie.

So, I found myself once again accepting spending the day with leeches. I even accepted the fact that my children were easily bribed, because it made my Cassie happy. Even Echo and Blaze were having a good time. That's all that mattered.

"Hey, c'mon little man!" Emmett yelled as Blaze raced down the lawn, a big ball in his little hands. He threw it at Zack, who managed to catch it even though it went a foot or two to the left. Zack had good reflexes, good instincts. He would have made a better wolf than a witch. Zack threw it to Stella, who tossed it to Jasper, who threw it back to Blaze. Emmett had a pouting puppy face on, which only made Blaze laugh and toss it back to Stella. She caught it on the tips of her fingers, but Emmett moved fast, taking it from her hands and nearly knocking her over in the process. He threw his arm around her waist to keep her upright, earning a scowl from Zack.

"Watch my wife!" He griped.

"Yeah, she's monkey in the middle now!" Emmett declared as he danced around. He slowed when he caught sight of Zack's face. "Aww, man, look, she's fine, I caught her…"

Stella quickly picked the ball out of Emmett's grip, laughing as she threw it to Jasper. "Emmett's the monkey again, Blaze!" She said, tousling his hair. Emmett growled playfully.

I turned my attention from the game to the people in front of me. Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie surrounded Eva. The only vampires she'd warmed up to at all were Esme and Carlisle (although she had let Alice carry her around for fifteen minutes), and we'd been here two hours, but Rosalie had eventually bribed her. She had sat down on the grass in front of the porch with a little blonde doll beside her and a mountain of doll clothing. Echo had blown right past it in pursuit of the swing set, but I'd noticed the looks Evie kept casting over her shoulder. Eventually, she'd dragged Esme over to the doll and asked Rosalie if she could play. Now, her and Rosalie were dressing and undressing the dolls quietly (they'd managed to drag out four more, but my tomboy still wasn't interested). Eva had even spoken to Rosalie, which made the dumb blonde glow with happiness.

Dumb blonde. I glanced up, Zack was pretty far away. "Hey Blondie, what do you call a blonde with half a brain? Gifted!" I murmured so Eva couldn't hear. Carlisle pressed his lips together to keep from smiling, but Esme shot me a disapproving look as she looked down at Evie. Rosalie simply turned to glare at me.

"Why are blonde jokes so short? So stupid dogs can remember them." She hissed back. I grinned.

"Why did the blond climb the chain link fence?" I asked.

"I heard this one before." Blondie answered.

"To see what's on the other side." I finished for Carlisle's sake.

"Hey." Rosalie said, louder this time. I grimaced, I was in for it now from Cassie or Zack. Cassie's eyes flicked to the porch. "How do you know if a guy at the beach has a redhead for a girlfriend?" I looked at her silently, afraid to look at Cassie. Rosalie looked smug as she continued. "He has "Stay off my turf!" scratched into his back."

Everyone was silent for a moment and then Cassie started to laugh. "I tried that once, Rose. He heals too quickly." She admitted with a big grin. "What's safer, a redhead or a piranha?" She asked, her eyes sparkling.

"A piranha. They only attack in schools." Zack answered, laughing. At my confused look they both broke into peals of laughter again.

"When Cassie was a teenager, I used to tell her redhead jokes all the time." Zack explained. "If you love a redhead, set her free…if she follows you everywhere you go, pitches a tent in your front lawn and puts your new girlfriend in the hospital, she's all yours!" He said with a grin as he went back to tossing the ball back and forth with my son and the vampires. Cassie just laughed, her eyes sparkling. Rosalie and I shook our heads in unison.

"She's something." She murmured with a sense of fondness I couldn't quite be mad about as she turned her attention back to Evie.

"Yeah." I said dreamily as Cassie hopped off the tree house. "She's pretty awesome." I watched her as she took Echo's hand, leading her to the swing. Echo giggled as her mother pushed her back and forth, demanding to be higher. I watched as this gathered Evie's attention. She looked at the doll in her hands, then up at me.

"Uncle Jake, will you push me on the swing?" She asked sweetly, her dimples showing as she smiled. I got up slowly, stretching. I scooped the little girl into my arms and crossed the short distance to the swings.

"Careful Jake, don't push her too high." Stella warned as she knelt next to Blaze.

"Sure, sure." I said with a grin as I placed Eva gently in the swings.

"Why are they so overprotective?" Alice whispered from where she sat. "She's a little small, but she's not porcelain." Huh, I wondered if it bothered Alice that people always assumed she was weaker because she was small.

"Stella had a lot of problems with her pregnancy." Cassie answered for me in a whisper. "They thought they lost her twice and then she went into premature labor and had to have an emergency c-section." Cassie pushed Echo up higher in the swings.

"Then when she was born, she was sick for awhile, bad immune system is what the doctor's said. She still gets sick really easily, and she bruises really badly from normal stuff like falling or bumping into things. She bleeds easily too. Her new thing is not sleeping more than a couple hours a night, which makes her immune system even worse…" Cassie trailed off, looking at Echo, healthy and glowing. "She's fragile. Zack and Stella worry constantly."

Alice looked thoughtful. "Why doesn't she sleep?" She asked.

"She has nightmares." Stella had appeared beside Cassie, leaning against the wooden post. "She won't say anything more than she dreams about monsters. I don't know how in the world she even learned what monsters are, she's never seen anything scary that I know of and she's hardly been out of my sight since she was born."

"She seemed to sleep alright with Echo last night." I commented. Stella smiled sweetly.

"I know, thank goodness. Maybe she's getting past them…" She sounded hopeful. I smiled at her.

Two more hours, and I was finally pulling into my own driveway. I was never going to get the leech stink out of my clothing, and I'd kinda given up trying. Cassie hummed lightly in her seat, twirling her phone in her hands as Blaze and Echo chattered away about the Cullens in the back seat. I groaned as I saw Paul, Leah, and Seth standing on my front porch.

"Huh. Guess they didn't believe you when you'd said you'd call if anything happened." Cassie remarked. I glared at them from the driver's seat as I switched off the car. I was swamped by werewolves before I could even open the door.

"Jesus Jake, you guys stink." Seth remarked casually, opening up the door to get Echo as Leah ran to Blaze's side. Echo began to yammer away to Seth, describing in detail every member of the Cullens and their big play set. Seth chuckled. I often felt bad for Seth…Leah liked to take Blaze for the day, but my kids were nearly inseparable, which meant that Seth often got dragged along as a plaything for Echo. Happy little punk didn't seem to mind, though, he doted on Echo like a favorite niece. Poor Seth was like an imprinted werewolf with none of the benefits.

"We wanted to take the kids to the beach, make sure they didn't forget us." Leah claimed as she hoisted Blaze into the air.

"Lela! I wanna go to the beach with Lela!" He demanded, I rolled my eyes. Leah seemed all too happy that his affection for her still remained. I didn't answer, instead eying Paul and Zack. He seemed to be hiding his enthusiasm for Zack's sake. In reality, I couldn't blame Zack for feeling a little resentful of the imprint thing. It would have been different if somebody had imprinted on Echo, worse for me than Leah imprinting on Blaze. I preferred to think Echo would never date, let alone get married, and now for Zack is was a sure thing. And she was only four.

Eva didn't feel the same need to not give her dad a heart attack. As soon as she saw Paul she smiled and stretched out of her mother's arms. "Paul!" She cried out, smiling widely. Paul returned it, looking at Zack hesitantly. He nodded curtly and Paul took Eva into his arms.

"Hey Evie. How were…the Cullens?" He asked. Eva played with the sleeve of his shirt.

"They were nice." She responded. "They had dolls, and they let me play. And there was a swing."

"Sounds pretty cool." Paul answered, twirling one of her blonde locks around his finger. "You had fun?"

"Mmmhmm. But I missed you." She said with another startling smile. I could practically hear Zack choking on his own bile.

"Do you want to come to the beach with us, kiddo? If mom and dad say it's okay." He added hastily. I laughed a little to myself. It'd be fun to watch if Zack and Paul got into a fight, I'd place money on Zack, he was lethal when he was mad.

Zack looked like he was about to say something rude, but Stella stepped in, smiling peacefully. "It sounds like fun. How about we go too?" She asked. Paul nodded gratefully as Stella linked arms with Zack.

"Well, hold on and let me get out of these clothes and we'll make it a family affair." I said as I stepped onto the porch.

"Oh no, you guys should stay here. Alone time and whatnot." Stella offered. "Since we're intruding so much. We can watch the kids for the rest of the afternoon."

"Stella, you're not intruding, I love having you here. But I won't argue against a kid free afternoon." Cassie said. Stella smiled knowingly.

"More than I needed to know about my sister, thank you very much." Zack said, eying Paul and Eva. "Let's get this over with."

I watched as the group walked off, laughing and talking, kids in tow.

"So, when do you think Paul and Zack are going to come to blows? 15 on Paul." My wife muttered softly into my ear.

"I'd bet on Zack. He's a fighter." I answered.

"Yeah, but you've never seen a wolf fight for someone he loves." She said softly. I turned to look at her.

"You've never seen it either. You were unconscious." I pointed out. A ghost of old sadness reappeared in her eyes.

"I didn't have to see it. You came, you saved me forever." She whispered. I squeezed her hand in mine and turned to kiss her, but ended up cringing at the stench coming off her.

"I smell that bad, huh?" She asked with a laugh. "I'll go take a shower." I nodded, not bothering to argue with her. She darted into the house quickly and I followed her, stripping out of my clothes and throwing them in the washing machine. I stopped to get new ones from our room just as the shower turned on. I slipped in the bathroom and grabbed her stinky clothes as well. I poured more detergent than I probably needed to in the machine and then turned it on. I picked up the kid's toys as I made my way though the house, depositing them back where they belonged. I even made myself some sandwiches, plowing through them quickly. I heard the shower shut off and Cassie's voice singing something I didn't recognize.

Her voice was like a siren's song to me still, and I found myself following it up the stairs. The door to our bathroom was wide open, giving me a good view of Cassie's artwork on the walls, mermaids, seashells, and bizarre looking fish swirled around in blue waves. Cassie stood at the mirror, a towel wrapped around her body, combing her hair.

I took a moment to compare what I was seeing to the girl I'd met ten years ago. Her hair was still the same vibrant ruby, but she seemed even more beautiful to me. Her violet eyes were shining bright, and her body was softer now after two children, her curves even more defined. More than that…she was happier, anyone could see that. The whole world seemed to benefit from her happiness, each room she was in seemed a little brighter than anywhere else. People gravitated to her, basking in that glow.

Cassie, my Cassie.

"You're beautiful." I said reverently as I watched her. She turned to me with a smile.

"You're horribly biased." She remarked with a smug smile. I shook my head, glad once more that I had fallen in love with her. I couldn't have chose a soul so warm, vibrant, and tender myself.

"Maybe." I walked over to her, brushing her hair to her left side so I could kiss the little tattoo on her shoulder. Lucy, Kim, and Cassie had all gone to the tattoo parlor as a surprise, and all came back with identical paw print tattoos. Lucy's was above her heart, the same place where Embry had tattooed her name, Kim's was on her thigh (the only reason I knew that was because I'd caught Jared fantasizing once while switching off for patrol. Who knew Kim had such a wild streak.), and Cassie had gotten it on her shoulder. Sam liked to joke that if we didn't look like a gang already, we did now. Emily had rolled her eyes when we suggested she go get one too, Jared had caved and gotten Kim's name tattooed on him in return. I highly anticipated when Quil and Claire finally got together as a couple it would be back to the tattoo parlor for the girls.

I kissed that paw print lightly, working my way over her shoulder and up her neck, covering her jaw in kisses. Her eyes drifted closed in pleasure. "Jake…" She moaned softly. I bent down and swept her off her feet, literally, as I carried her to the bed.

"I love you." I whispered in her ear. Her lips were on mine instantly, and fireworks were exploding in my blood. Everything about her was perfect, the sound of her voice, the way her hands slid down my body like wind over the earth, and the sweetness of her lips as she pressed them wherever she could find skin. We were perfect together. We fit like two halves of a puzzle. And as we lost ourselves in each other, we were on fire, yet again.

Burning up never felt so right.


	11. Chapter 9: The Phone Call

**(AN) Bella, Jezebel…and who the hell is Delilah?! Read and find out! (Too tired to write proper Author's Note)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight, but…nah…**

**Chapter 9: The Phone Call**

I was really quite warm, almost too hot. I might have to push Jacob away in a couple minutes. No, scratch that. I'd never push Jacob away because I simply loved being this close to him far too much. His arms were wrapped around me, pulling me tight to his body. I could feel his slow, rhythmic breathing on my shoulder. I was pretty sure he was very close to dozing off.

"Hmm, Jake, I need to get up." I mumbled. Jake sighed, his arms tightening around me. I groaned.

"Don't go. Stay in bed." He whispered, his warm breath tickling my ear. I squirmed in his arms.

"Jake…" I whined. He chuckled.

"I'm not letting go." He teased, pulling me closer. I huffed, pushing my hair out of my eyes to glare playfully at him. Then he was holding nothing but air, and I was across the room.

"That isn't fair." He stated, sitting up.

"Well it's not fair you're freakishly strong either. I've got to even it up some way." I teased as I threw on one of his t-shirts, long enough on me to pass for a dress. His face fell into a pout that made me think I'd kicked a wounded puppy. I groaned.

"For heavens sake, Jacob, I'll be right back. I just want to get the phone and put some water on for dinner." I said softly. He brightened considerably and I shook my head as I climbed down the stairs. I grabbed the phone on my way to the kitchen and then filled a pot with water and set in on the stove. Instantly, I was back in bed. Jacob chuckled, pulling me close to him again, running his hand up and down my spine.

"Who are we calling?" He asked, nuzzling into my shoulder. I sighed.

"Bells." I said softly. I felt him tense immediately. We were still for a few seconds, then he let out a great sigh.

"Wanna know the awful thing?" He asked. I nodded. "I still miss her too…I couldn't have gone to Alaska Cass, that night…I wanted to, but I couldn't have hurt her." He whispered it so softly that I almost couldn't hear him. I captured his lips with my own, wanting to show him how much that admission meant to me. He slowly pulled away, and our eyes locked.

I wondered what he saw in mine, was it the same I saw in his? In his chocolate brown orbs I could see undying love, devotion, adoration. In his eyes, I could find my way to heaven. His warm fingers brushed my hair away from face and he smiled. I felt my heart sputter erratically and he laughed, kissing my forehead.

"Do you need to do this alone?" He asked, gesturing to the phone. I shook my head, twining our fingers together.

"No, stay with me please." I begged. He smiled and buried his head in my shoulder. I took a few deep breaths and dialed the number Alice had snuck in my hand as we were leaving.

The phone rang twice. Then a musical male voice answered. I was surprised to feel happy to hear Edward's voice as well.

"Hello?" He answered cautiously. He didn't know our new number, of course. Jacob snorted softly.

"Edward? This is…"

"Cassie?" He asked, genuinely surprised. Stupid photographic vampire memory, of course he would remember my voice. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. The other end of the phone was quiet.

"If my family disturbed you Cassie, I just want to clarify that Bella and I did not condone their actions…" Edward began slowly.

"No! No, I'm happy they're here." I said softly. Jacob rolled his eyes now, and I hit him on the shoulder. I was sure it barely registered. "I took the kids to see them. Echo and Blaze had a great time…Zack and Stella are visiting with their daughter, Eva, so we took her too…" I drifted off. The other side of the phone was quiet again, I could almost feel the shock.

"Are you still there? Edward?" I asked again.

"Yes, I'm here Cassandra…" He began. "I just…I didn't expect that reaction from you."

"I had to grow up sometime, Edward." I joked lightly. "I mean, I guess I just had to take more precautions... They loved the kids. Echo is five now. Blaze is three. Alice and Echo played in their swing set, Blaze, Emmett, and Jasper were all playing monkey in the middle, Emmett was the monkey most the time. Rosalie had Eva playing dolls with her…"

"It sounds wonderful Cassie." Edward said warmly. "Did you want to talk to Bella?"

I took another deep breath and Jake squeezed my hand. "Yes, please."

"Cassie?" The voice changed one unfamiliar and yet eerily comforting, more musical than the one I could remember so well from many centuries.

"Bells?" I asked in return. There was silence, neither one of us knowing what to say.

"I'm so sorry Cassie…I never even got a chance to apologize…I could have…" She started.

"It's okay, it's…" I tried to interrupt, but she seemed undaunted.

"It's not okay, Jacob probably hates me, and Echo will be terrified for the rest of her life, and you'll always have that scar, and I could have killed both of you…" I tried not to be too exasperated with her. There was only one way I knew of to stop her from babbling on guiltily.

There were walls in the back of my mind, walls that kept a small part of my past from my future, walls that separated my sister and I. I'd first been able to block her out in the sixties, something I later regretted ever learning to do. Then, after I'd left that night, I'd blocked her out again. I couldn't continue on with my life with her mind always linked so closely to mine, but that was foolish. I couldn't continue my life without her comforting presence either, I missed it.

So I let the walls collapse. It was easy, like finally taking a rest from holding up a huge rock. Bella finally went silent, and I could feel her in the back of my mind as her guilt slowly subsided as she felt my happiness…and my happiness slowly became her own. I closed my eyes, replaying pictures of my children playing with the Cullens, of my Echo happy and carefree, of Blaze laughing at Emmett, of delicate little Eva. I hoped she was paying attention.

"Oh Cassie." Bella finally said. I could feel the happiness coursing through her own mind now, along with hope.

"I don't hate you. Jake doesn't hate you." I reassured.

"I am angry, though." He said conversationally. I hit him again and he laughed.

"Jake will get over it." I continued on. "Echo, resilient little punk, doesn't even remember it. And you can barely even see my scar. I knew the risk when I let you turn yourself into a vampire, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

"I'm stronger now, Cassie. I've never slipped since then." Bella said softly. I believed her. The phone beeped in my ear and I pulled it away, looking at the number. Sam Uley's name flashed across the caller ID. I sighed.

"Hold on a second, Bella, The Uley's are on the other line." I mumbled. She laughed softly. I pulled the phone away from my ear and pressed a button.

"Cassie speaking." I said with a smile. Emily's warm laugh greeted me.

"I have your kids and I'm feeding them dinner." Emily said softly. In the background I could hear squealing and laughter. I rolled my eyes.

"How in the world did they end up at your house? I thought they were going to the beach?" I questioned. Emily laughed.

"Yeah, we were there too. I imagine it wasn't quite by accident that they ran into us." She whispered conspiratorially into the phone. "Anyway, we wanted to invite you and Jake to come over for dinner. If you're not too busy doing other things…" She added with a giggle. Jake looked up at me.

"Emily's cooking. We have to go." He said with reverence. I giggled. I could cook very well, I thought, but Jake still had a soft spot for Emily's culinary masterpieces.

"Yeah, we'll be over in a few, Emily. Just let us get dressed." I answered. There were hoots and hollers in the background and Jake and I both groaned. Of course they would be listening then.

"Alright, take your time." Emily replied, repressing her own laughter. I rolled my eyes.

"Bye Em." I said, resigned. She laughed lightly.

"Bye Red, see you soon!" She replied happily. I clicked to the other line.

"Are you still there?" I asked. Bella giggled.

"Yep. Were you and Jake doing something I'd rather not know about?" She asked. I sighed.

"No comment. Bella?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes Cass?" She asked.

"Will you visit?" I nervously played with Jake's hair. He smiled happily, leaning into my touch.

"We'll leave tonight and we'll be there by tomorrow." Bella promised. I smiled, unable to reign in my happiness.

"Love you Bells." I replied with a sigh.

"Love you too, Cass. See you tomorrow." She said softly. The phone clicked off and I turned to Jake, jumping on top of him in joy.

"You don't mind, do you?" I asked. He shook his head, sliding his hands down my thighs.

"Nope." He laughed. "But if you don't get off me, we're never going to make it to Emily's for dinner."

I grinned and hopped off the bed easily, dancing around the room and humming to myself. My sister was coming to visit, and everything seemed just a little brighter. I grabbed my clothes and threw them on, tossing Jake's t-shirt back to him. He couldn't help grinning either, but I couldn't tell if he was truly happy, or happy only because I was. With Jake, it was usually pretty hard to tell.

Emily's house was packed, as usual. Echo came running as soon as she saw us, Eva's hand securely in her own.

"Mommy, Daddy, look what Seth made me!" She crowed, pointing to her neck. I leaned down to get a good look. On a leather cord, Seth had fixed a very pretty clam shell, nearly the same color purple as my daughter's eyes. She played with her new necklace proudly.

"It's beautiful, Coco. I want one." I teased. She grinned, flashing me her father's dimples.

"He made one for Evie too." I looked over and sure enough, Evie's was almost identical. "Maybe he'll make one for you too, momma."

"If you really want one." Seth laughed, lounging on the couch.

"Now that they know you'll make them jewelry they'll never leave you alone, Seth." Jacob predicted.

"Leave my grandbaby alone." A gruff voice came from my right. I burst into a wide smile.

"Billy! When did you get back from Hawaii?" I asked, leaning down to kiss my father-in-laws forehead.

"Last night. Sue and Charlie picked me up, didn't want to bother you two after the overly-generous plane tickets." He glared at me playfully and I giggled softly. He then turned his glare to Jake.

"Don't blame me old man, I do whatever she wants." He grumbled. Billy sighed.

"Rebecca and the kids are great. They want you and Cass to bring Echo and Blaze down soon. She made me promise." I nodded with a sweet smile, heading into the kitchen.

"Oh Cassie, thank god you're here." Kim said, leaping up and throwing her arms around me. "I need your help."

"What's up?" I asked. Kim motioned to a bunch of color swatches on the table.

"Lucy and Emily are no help. I need to pick out a color for the new nursery so Jared has time to fix it up." I laughed, eying the colors appreciatively.

"You're certain it's a girl?" I asked. Kim had an unusual knack for guessing the genders of our kids. She'd been spot on every single time. I couldn't tell if it was luck or some latent sixth sense.

"Positive. If it's not, I'm going to kick Jared to the curb." She stated easily. I rolled my eyes and rearranged a few of the swatches.

"I like this pale yellow, or maybe this mint green color. That way if you're wrong, you have some flexibility." I stated. Kim grinned up at me, removing the rest of the swatches.

"Thanks. I can choose between two colors." She said with relief. I shook my head.

Then I felt it, a slight ripple in the air, power spreading. I started, looking around. Nobody else looked like they felt it and even Zack and Stella didn't look up. I'd been waiting for it, though, I'd been expecting it.

"Emily, I'm going outside for some fresh air, be back in a second." I said as I passed by her, exiting out the back door. I didn't have a lot of time to do this, Jake would notice I was missing sooner than later. I slipped out the back door, heading for the woods. I could feel her presence, shining in the trees, an odd mixture of life and death.

"Jezebel." I stated as I rounded a cluster of trees. There she stood, hidden from the house, a cigarette dangling from between her lips.

"Beltane, you called?" I looked anxiously over my shoulder back toward the house.

"Go back to your party, love. You've not been happy enough in this world. Far be it from me to take this away from you." Jezebel cooed softly into the night. Her hair was wild, her clothing dirty and worn. She looked much worse than she had the last time I'd seen her, in the sixties.

"They said you saw a war." I stated again. No response, I took it as an affirmative. "You won't drag me into it, Jezebel, not this time. I'm done, I'm retired, I have a family…" I stated.

"Isn't your war to win, sunshine. And you will fight in the next battle." She stated. "Future has changed…you will fight. We'll fight." She whispered.

"My kids are not warriors, Jezebel. My kids will have a happy, normal life if I have to kill for it." I threatened. "If I have to kill you for it."

"Killing me would do no good, except give me some peace." She said softly, taking a drag from her cigarette.

"Jezebel…please…don't drag us into this." I begged, stepping forward.

"They would have a happy childhood, your children." She insisted. "If you win this next fight."

"I won't fight anymore. We'll run." I stated, glaring. Jezebel laughed.

"Can't run forever, sunshine. I've tried, and now my time is ticking. Tick-tock, tick-tock…"

"I'm not fighting." I mumbled sullenly, turning on my heel. This was useless, it was always useless to attempt to talk sense into Jezebel.

Suddenly, the world was bright with midday sun. I cursed Jezebel in my mind, this wasn't the first time I'd been pulled through time for her sick fun. I turned my head back to her, but before I could, I saw a car pulling into an empty parking lot. I looked around me, unsure of where I was. It was a lake somewhere, in the middle of winter. I'd guess it was somewhere up on the mountain, snow was thick everywhere, the lake was frozen.

"Watch." Jezebel commanded. I rolled my eyes and examined the old, beat up car. The engine cut just as another car arrived, but I was too busy staring at the girl who was climbing out of the first car. I would know this girl anywhere.

Her long dark hair blew in the wind, in the bright sun I could see reddish tones in it. Her smile brought out dimples in her face, dimples so like Jacob's…this girl was my Echo…about eleven years older, old enough to drive a car. Her violet eyes took in the lake excitedly as she popped the car's trunk. The other doors were opening, next out was a young boy, his reddish-brown hair unruly and windswept. Blaze, young and handsome, tall as his older sister at 14. He stepped through the snow to the trunk, helping Echo pull out things. The backseat door opened, and a blonde head popped out, so different from the dark haired kids milling around as one more car pulled up. Evie, beautiful and delicate was almost out of the car when Echo spoke.

"Evie, did you put your contacts in?" She asked. "You'd better do it now before your glasses fog up." She reminded. Eva blushed, murmuring something.

"Your contacts are right here, Eva." A voice still in the car said with obvious exasperation, handing Eva a small case. Eva blushed even pinker, struggling with her glasses and the contacts, taking off her gloves. My attention was drawn now to the new girl getting out of the car.

She could have been my double. Her red hair was half hidden under a hat, but it was almost the exact shade mine was. Her skin was paler than almost everyone, with the exception of Eva, and her eyes were the exact hue of Echo and Blaze's. She grabbed a pair of skates from the back and quickly laced them up while leaning against the door. She then hopped over to the ice.

"Delilah Black, if mom finds out you went on the ice before anyone tested it…" Echo chided, her eyebrow raised in challenge. Delilah laughed, shaking out her red hair as a few of the bronze skinned boys zoomed past her onto the ice.

Delilah Black. So much for my hockey team, I thought ruefully. A dark haired girl came to stand beside Delilah. I examined her closely. She looked around the same age as Delilah, 11 or 12. I could see Kim in her heart shaped face and the long lashes that brushed her cheek. Score one more for our baby psychic.

Blaze sauntered through, tossing his arms around both girls' shoulders and dragging them onto the ice with one of his dad's characteristic sunny grins. They laughed as they wheeled on the ice. Echo waited patiently as Eva fiddled with her skates, and then linked arms with the thin girl as they waltzed out onto the ice with all the other kids. The pack kids. I could hear their laughter ringing in the cold winter air as the vision dissipated and I was stuck looking at Jezebel.

"You'll fight." She predicted. I heard Jake yell my name in the distance. "You'll fight for them."


	12. Chapter 10: No Rest for the Wicked

**(AN) Okay, so I've come to terms with the fact that this story is probably going to be a lot shorter than WWR. That's because I'm already anticipating the last part of the story that shows what happens to Pandora, Echo, Blaze, Delilah, etc. The sequel to this is tentatively called "To Unending Sleep" from a poem by the author of "Doctor Zhivago" (A prize if you can tell me the author's name and the name of the poem!) but I have a couple more ideas for a title . Hopefully I'll settle on this before I finish writing this part. The lullaby is (I think) Irish, my mom called it "Over the Moon" and I grew up hearing it all the time. My family on my mom's side is Irish, that's why I think it originated there. My mom said that if you sang it on moonless nights, it kept the creepies away. There are three verses, they'll probably make appearances in other chapters :-) Oh, and OMG VAMPIRE BELLA POV! YAY! :-D**

**Chapter 10: No Rest for the Wicked**

It was like coming home. If my heart could beat, it would break out of my chest. As it was, I couldn't stop moving. As a vampire, I could usually stay still for hours, days if I really wanted to, but now because of anxiety, I was constantly fidgeting. We had hunted to the north just as the sun was coming up, and I'd found a beautiful bunch of lilies. I'd been unable to resist picking them, but now they were a tangled mess of broken petals and twisted stems. I laughed ruefully.

"I was having fun watching you." Edward said with a suppressed chuckle. I glared playfully at him as I dumped the mangled flowers out the window. He smiled warmly at me and squeezed my hand.

"It'll be okay Bella." He said softly. I nodded, my ears catching a muted howl on the wind. Edward caught it too, listening to thoughts I couldn't hear.

"It's Seth. He's happy we're here." Edward breathed. I could now hear thunderous footfalls as a wolf, no more than one, ran through the woods. Our car slowed as we approached the boundary line. We were just behind it when the wolves appeared, melting out of the fog. I knew all three, the lean tan one on the left with the goofy grin and his tongue lolling out was Seth, I could remember him even through the dim memories, my younger Jacob. Farthest right was an imposing, burly silver wolf who looked sort of anxious, looking us up and down as if to ascertain whether there was any danger. I wasn't entirely certain, but I thought it might have been Paul. That memory was particularly blurry.

I could never forget the wolf in the middle, though, not if I lived for thousands of years. His head was tilted to the side almost introspectively. Jacob's dark eyes burned into mine, and I would have given anything to be able to read his mind for a minute. Edward wasn't giving me any clues to what he was thinking.

"He's giving me directions to their house." Edward said finally. "He asks that you please try to refrain from biting his children. I'm fairly certain he's not all the way joking about it." He finished softly. Jacob laughed, a strange coughing sound I dimly remembered, as did Seth.

"He says I'm right, that he's not all the way joking. But he's glad to see you again, Bella. You look nice." Edward now smiled, looking over at me.

"I think he's understating. Typical Jake." He kissed me softly after he said this, and I couldn't help but melt just a little. Seth and Jake were laughing again.

"Like you and Cassie have ever stopped acting like teenagers." Edward mumbled to Jacob again. Seth began to laugh even harder, which made Edward smile my favorite crooked smile. Jacob snorted and took off through the woods, followed closely by Paul and Seth. Edward began to move slower this time, the car following the speed limit as we coursed through the little town. I was listening so hard, I nearly gasped when I first heard it.

We were still fairly far away, at least a block or two, but I could hear Cassie, her voice heartbreakingly familiar. She was singing. I could make out the words clearly…and they were so comforting. It reminded me of someplace warm, somewhere safe. I closed my eyes and listened to her.

"I hear the lark, the lark hears me  
Singing a song with a memory  
Please let the lark that sings to me  
Sing to the one I love  
Oven the mountain, over the sea,  
Back where my heart is longing to be  
Please let the lark that sings to me  
Sing to the one I love."

"She does have a wonderful voice." Edward complimented. I could hear commotion now. The wolves had beaten us to her home. I could hear their human voices, rough and earth like, curling around the house at the end of the street we'd just turned on. Cassie's song had broken off, she was now a soft soprano among the deeper voices surrounding her.  
We pulled into the driveway, our car scrunching on the gravel. I was out of the car quickly, following the voices around to the back yard. Everyone had gone quiet but for squealing of children and the barking of a dog. I was drawn to the beating hearts in the back yard like a moth to a flame.  
As I entered, everyone stared at me besides the two little girls, oblivious to whatever adult problem was going on. Cassie stood out among the dark bodies, pale and short, a little copper skinned boy in her arms. I could hear his slow heartbeat, the way his lashes fluttered as he dreamed.  
"Simon says…touch your nose!" The girls laughed again, complying with the pretty blonde in front of them. Zack hovered next to her, casting me anxious glances. Stella was probably the only grown up in the yard that didn't seem nervous. She shot me a smile over her shoulder as she twirled around in a circle and the girls followed.  
"Hah! Didn't say Simon said that time! Got both of you!" She declared. The girls instantly began to declare it unfair, pulling on Stella's shirt. She laughed as she knelt down to their level, but then my attention was stolen away.  
"Bella?" Cassie asked uncertainly as she handed Blaze off to Seth. The boy didn't even stir in his sleep. Watching his slumber was like watching Jacob sleep while I was human, the boyish innocence even more intact on this child's face. Cassie's eyes were trained on me, and I smiled, trying to seem approachable…like the girl I had been.  
It took Cassie less than a second to smile back, three seconds to cross the yard to where I was and toss her arms around me tightly. I was startled, holding my breath for a few seconds and sniffing lightly. She smelt like Cassie…sorta, more like Jake than cinnamon cookies, which made me relieved. I returned the hug carefully.  
"Missed you Sis." She said softly.  
"Me too." I answered lightly. Suddenly, Stella was beside us, her warm arms thrown over both of us as she laughed.  
I looked up, Paul still looked very tense as he waited by Eva and Echo, but everyone else seemed to have relaxed. Even Zack smiled hesitantly.  
"Who is that?" Echo whispered softly, finally catching sight of us. I pulled away even further to catch a glimpse of the girl I'd been thinking of non-stop for years. I looked at her, examining her childish face. I could see Cassie in her lips, the red tint in her hair, and eyes that glowed sweet purple. She had Jacob's nose, his dimples, and the color of her skin was only a little different from his. She eyed me curiously, obviously unafraid. I thanked my lucky stars for that because I certainly didn't deserve it. The only time I'd ever felt like a monster after I'd changed was when I had tasted my sister's blood. The thought was enough to make me dizzy.  
"Coco." Cassie called softly. The girl left Eva's side quickly, bounding over to her mother. Jacob approached as well, standing behind Cassie, a hand on her shoulder. Echo stood in front of her mother, her eyes sizing me up, and then she smiled.  
For a second, it seemed like the world was a little brighter, like light flowed from her and into the air around her. She reached out for me, dazzling, taking my hand. I knelt down to her size, looking directly into her pretty eyes.  
"Hi Echo, I'm Isabella Cullen. You can call me Bella." I introduced myself. Her face lit up.  
"My middle name is Isabella!" She declared, excited by what appeared to her mere coincidence. Cassie giggled.  
"Echo, your middle name is from her. We named you Echo Isabella because Bella is my sister, and she's very important to me. I wanted you to be a little like her." Cassie explained, gently tousling the little girl's hair.  
"So you're my Aunt Bella?" Echo questioned again, more insistently. I nodded, unable to say much. Echo grinned, throwing her arms quickly around my neck, pressing her warm body against mine. I picked her up effortlessly, Edward was at my side, his hand on my shoulder. She turned her gaze to him.  
"And this is my husband, Edward." I introduced her to him. "I guess he's your uncle Edward." I explained, waiting for her reaction. Edward grinned at her and she returned it.  
"Are you gonna stay and play with me and Evie?" She asked, twisting the seashell pendant she was wearing. I nodded, gently setting her back on the ground. She was indescribable to me, more beautiful than any vampire, and full of life. She turned her head, meeting Eva's eyes across the yard. Some spark of silent communication went through them and Eva grabbed Paul's hand. This made me raise an eyebrow.  
"Imprint." Edward breathed quietly. That made more sense to me, it also explained why Zack seemed to flinch at how readily Eva seemed to gravitate to Paul. I quietly giggled as they made their way to us, Paul more and more anxious. Eva stopped in front of Echo, her eyes trained on me. She let go of Paul's hand and held her arms up to me, a silent invitation to be held. Paul looked betrayed, which was quite comical. I lifted her easily into my arms and Paul tensed.  
"Easy Paul." Jake cautioned, wrinkling his nose. "God Bella, you stink." We all laughed quietly, except Echo, who only looked a little annoyed.  
"She smells just fine, daddy." She mumbled. Edward grinned, shaking his head.  
"Guess someone didn't get the wolf gene?" He asked playfully. Jake grinned larger and Cassie sighed, ruffling Blaze's hair.  
"Yeah, but my son did. He says you all smell funny." Jake said proudly. Cassie cast a withering look at him.  
"If he turns into a large dog when he turns sixteen…" She threatened.  
"Hey, you knew there was a good likelihood of that happening when you married me!" Jake defended, tucking Blaze closer to him. I laughed, training my eyes on Eva. She was a tiny little thing, she reminded me of Alice despite her blond hair. She was silent in my arms, but it seemed almost peaceful.  
"She's beautiful, Stella." I whispered. Stella grinned, kissing Eva's head.  
"Zack says she's got my looks, but she's got his personality. She's so smart that we have to watch what we say 'round her." Stella explained. "She doesn't take to people quickly. I'm surprised she's bein' so good for you. The only person she went to 'sides you was Paul!"  
"She went to me quicker though. She told me I'm her Paul." The man in question said petulantly. Eva smiled and turned her head toward him, holding out her hand. Paul took it quickly, without hesitation.  
"Is that your Paul?" I asked her playfully. Her smile got wider and she nodded emphatically. Paul chuckled and offered her both his arms. She squirmed out of mine and into his immediately.  
"I bet Zack likes that." I mumbled. He truly seemed like he was in pain.  
"Oh, he'll get over it. Eventually." Stella commented brightly. "He loves Eva, he's a great dad. He's just a lil overprotective." I nodded, understanding.  
"Hey Echo, we bought you a present." Edward said, kneeling down to talk to her. Her eyes lit up and she smiled.  
"A present?" She questioned. "What kind of present?"  
"Well, it's for Blaze, Eva, and you I guess." Edward clarified. "It's in my car, let me go get it." Edward was gone instantly. I could feel him speed up, excited, as he turned the corner. I smirked, Cassie tilted her head.  
"What in the world did you get my kids?" She asked. I giggled, because Edward was already on his way back. He turned the corner, loaded down with the present he carried gracefully. There was a box that housed a new basketball hoop that could be adjusted so the kids could play, or Jacob and the wolves if they wanted to. Then there were three basketballs, all decorated differently, one with shooting flames, the other with pink hearts, and the last one with swirling music notes. Echo squealed.  
"Is that a basketball hoop like Uncle Sam has?" She asked. Jacob nodded, grinning.  
"Yep." Jacob answered, his face lighting up as well.  
"Can you put it up daddy? Now?" Echo asked insistently, tugging on Jacob's hand. He chuckled, and nodded.  
"You're spoiling my kids rotten, Cullens." Jacob said, taking the box easily in from Edward's arms and throwing the balls on the ground. Echo picked up the one with music notes right away, tossing it in the air.  
"Seth! Seth come play with me!" She demanded, tossing the ball to Seth with her father's impish grin. They ran away from us, to where Eva and Paul were sitting in the grass. Jake gave Blaze back to Cassie before walking away with Edward to assemble the basketball hoop. It was like we were family, normal family, hanging out for a day. I imagined what our lives would have been like if we weren't witches, vampires, and werewolves, would we have been inseparable?  
"Ostara. Nice to see you." Everyone's head turned at once to the dark sound, Jezebel standing by the door frame. I stiffened, glaring daggers.  
"What is she doing here?" I murmured to Cassie. She just sighed.  
"Oh, the usual, doom gloom and destruction. She showed up last night, disappeared, and then came back this morning. She's spent most of the day chain smoking on our front porch." Cassie complained. Jezebel smirked. I shivered.  
"So I guess she told you we're all going to die, huh?" I asked lightly. The last thing Cassie needed to be was her life ruined any more by this witch.  
"Not anymore." Jezebel said softly, gliding down the steps and past us. She spared no glances for any of us, humming lightly under her breath. I groaned.  
"No rest for the wicked." I said softly.  
"I just wish I could keep everyone else out of the crosshairs. It seems like everything I touch is doomed." She replied sadly. I looked over at her, seeing her face angled down to examine Blaze's sleeping repose. There was agony there, a slow kind of agony, like someone being ripped apart limb from limb. I reached out, putting my marble hand over hers.  
"We'll find a way. There's always a way." I whispered.


	13. Chapter 11: Night Terrors

**(AN) It was ridiculously easy to write this chapter. It just flowed. I guess the muses were with me, hehe . I particularly like the scene where they're all half naked. I have been waiting since WWR to start write that! I giggled the whole time :-) I also particularly like the ending. Uh-oh….**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor the butchered Hamlet that Jezebel quotes. **

**Chapter 11: Night Terrors**

"_I have had dreams, and I have had nightmares. _

_I overcame the nightmares because of my dreams."_

The kids were in bed, it was late. Paul had left to run patrol as soon as Eva was in bed with Echo (she'd refused the trundle bed very emphatically, crawling in beside Echo, despite Cassie and I warning her that Echo liked to knee you in the kidneys at three am.) We were all laying in the grass in my backyard, glancing up at the clear night. You could see the crescent moon and all the stars, it seemed, and Cassie, Zack, Stella, and Edward knew all the constellations in the sky. I listened as they pointed them out, Cassie would drag my fingers over them, tracing them in the sky to show me.

For some reason, it felt right. It felt like I was with my family and if it wasn't for the stink, I could forget that two of the people here were vampires. Then I wrinkled my nose, smelling a very different kind of stink, like cigarettes and flowers and death all rolled into one.

"Incoming." I mumbled to Cassie just as the branches swayed to our left. Our heads all turned to watch as Jezebel strolled once more out of the woods, loaded down with wildflowers in her arms. If she wasn't creepy as hell, I would have said she looked almost innocent, childlike. I imagine Echo would have plucked and carried flowers much the same way.

"Oy, Jezebel!" Zack yelled. The woman didn't look up, but slightly altered her course. She knelt down between Zack and Stella, offering the flowers to Stella.

"There's rosemary there, that's for remembrance. And there are pansies, those are for thoughts. There's a daisy. I would give you some violets, but they withered and died. Sweets to the sweet." Jezebel remarked as Stella took the flowers out of her hands. I snorted.

"Hamlet?" Edward asked cautiously. Jezebel's lips twitched.

"Shakespeare knew madness very well, don't you think?" She asked in her sing song voice.

"Almost as well as you act it." Edward breathed so softly, I doubted if anyone but Bella and I heard. I eyed Jezebel speculatively, trying to find a reason in Edward's words. Was she really _not_ crazy? Even Cassie seemed under the impression she was a bit gone in the head. Could anyone act so convincingly? From the corner of my eye I saw Edward nod a bit to my silent question.

Great, just great.

"Jezebel, we wanted to ask you something." Zack said slowly, as if speaking to a creature easily frightened. I saw Jezebel's lips twist again as she turned her clouded eyes to Zack.

"Yes, Atham? Would you like some flowers too?" Jezebel asked, picking a daisy off the pile. Zack snorted.

"No. We wanted to know if you knew why our marks are gone." Zack said, his eyes focused on Jezebel as he held out his blank wrist. I watched Jezebel's face closely as she stared at his wrist. Something flashed across her eyes, some spark of intelligence that proved Edward very right.

"It's gone? All of you?" She asked. Cassie and Stella both nodded their heads, showing their blank wrists. Jezebel reached out to slowly run her finger down Cassie's wrist, confusion evident on her features.

"I thought only your Hope knew that ritual." Jezebel mumbled.

"You and I, if I recall. I didn't do it, so you must have." Stella pointed out. I looked over at Cassie, confused.

"Why would Stella know it?" I asked. Cassie looked up at me, explaining in a low voice.

"That's Stella's talent, well, maybe it's not a real talent. There are two realms of power for witches, the physical manifestation, which is the one we use the most. It's our telekinesis, the way Zack can watch what's happening, the way I light things on fire. Then there's a whole other world of things you can do…but it requires incantations, preparation, rituals. Hardly anybody bothers with it because it's far too archaic for most of us. I can't even do the simplest rituals, they're beyond me. But Stella…she has a gift for it. She hardly ever gets it wrong. She knows every incantation, every ritual, and to my knowledge can perform every one of them, including the one to cast a witch out from her coven. The only other person that knows that ritual is Jezebel. She's the only one who knows more than Stella." Cassie finished her explanation, looking up at Jezebel. She'd pulled her shirt sleeve up as well, staring at her own arm. There was no bruise like star on her body either.

"But sometimes it happens naturally…when a coven has wronged a witch and the witch has left the coven. It hasn't happened since the war, but…" She looked up at all of us, as if pondering something. "Have you any new marks?"

That is how I found myself with my half naked wife, running her fingers over her creamy skin in what could be described as the best torture in the history of mankind. I groaned as she shifted anxiously on our bed. What only made it worse was the chuckling I could hear from downstairs as Edward heard each and everyone of my errant thoughts.

"Did you two find anything yet?" Cassie asked, her voice laced with irritation. Stella and Zack were in our bathroom and I could hear Stella giggling.

"Nothing Cass!" Stella answered cheerfully. Zack laughed and I groaned again. I was going to have to sanitize the whole bathroom.

"The more you move around, the harder this is going to be." I growled. Cassie's skin flushed an amazing red that made me want to shut the door and not even care that there were vampires who could hear everything downstairs.

"I bet it's hard." Bella said softly downstairs, bursting into giggles again. I growled once more in frustration.

"I'm not seeing anything Cassie, and if you take any more clothing off, we're not leaving this bedroom." I gave up, collapsing on the bed. Cassie sighed, pulling her shirt back on. I wasn't sure if I was disappointed or happy. Maybe a bit of both.

"It's okay." I heard laughter from the bathroom again, this time Cassie heard it too. Her head popped up and she glared at the bathroom door.

"If you two don't cut it out, I'm going to…" Cassie threatened, but she didn't have time to finish the threat as Bella burst through the door.

"Bells! I don't have any pants on!" Cassie yelled, blushing, grabbing her jeans and quickly pulling them on.

"It's okay, I've seen you in a swimsuit before for Christ's sake. Anyway, I found it on Jezebel." Bella declared brightly.

"You were searching Jezebel?" Cassie asked in disbelief. "She let you?"

"It was her idea, actually. She has no modesty, started stripping with Edward still in the room. It was pretty funny actually." Bella admitted.

"I have werewolf eyes, Bella, and I'm pretty sure Cassie doesn't have a mark on her…" I trailed off as Bella lifted Cassie's long red hair away from her face, twisting it back. Now that her hair wasn't in the way, I could clearly see four purple-ish bruises shaped like stars behind her right ear.

"Well, I didn't think to look there." I stated. Cassie turned around, feeling behind her ear.

"There's something there?" She asked.

"Yep. Four stars, following the curve of your ear behind it. Very pretty, actually, would be an awesome tattoo." I said.

"Behind your ears, Zack, Stella! Four stars!" Cassie shouted. I heard some serious shifting as they examined each other.

"Zack has them!" Stella yelled out.

"So does she! How about Jezebel?" Zack questioned. I could hear them shuffling to get their clothes back on.

"Bella found it on her first." Cassie said, gliding down the hallway and down the stairs as we followed her. Jezebel was downstairs, for once not bedecked in fifteen layers of clothing (they were scattered around our living room), but only in a black tank top and leggings, her dark curls caught in a barrette. I had to admit, yet again, if she wasn't creepy, she'd be kind of pretty. From where I stood, I could clearly see the mark behind her ear.

"So, why? Why did we get new marks?" Cassie asked, placing her hand on Jezebel's shoulder.

"Because you are all family and have always been. If Bella was not a vampire, I imagine she would have the same mark as all of you. You left the coven together, you were all wronged together, you stand together." She finished with a shrug.

"But why did you change as well?" Stella asked, appearing at the bottom of the steps. Jezebel smirked, placing her hand over Cassie's.

"Because I would follow all of you to the end of the Earth. You're the only hope I have left." She said softly, moving away from Cassie and collapsing on the couch. We were all silent for a moment, absorbing those words, before she idly spoke again.

"Did you check your children? They should have marks of their own by now, the way their eyes shine."

The four parents in the room immediately exchanged terrified glances. We'd always known, always accepted the fact that our children had witch eyes from the beginning, but if they had marks too…

"Jacob." Cassie choked out, but I was already up the stairs, dashing down the hall. I came to Blaze's door first, opening it as quietly as I could, slipping to his bedside. He was fast asleep, his heartbeat slow, his eyes shut calmly. His shaggy hair that his mother loved too much to cut was obscuring the place behind his hair. I tenderly brushed it away, nearly gasping as I saw the four stars running down his skin, not as noticeable as Cassie's on her fairer skin.

"Does he…?" Cassie asked from the doorway, Stella and Zack hovering behind her uncertainly. I nodded heavily, letting his hair drape back down over it. Instantly, all three witches were gone. I could hear them opening the door to Echo's room and I followed them without thinking, running into Edward and Bella in the hallway looking sympathetic.

When I got to Echo's room, they were all around her bed, moving quietly. The two girls were both sleeping on their backs, their hands touching, a pink bunny in Echo's arms, and an old baby blanket in Eva's. Cassie and Stella's heavy faces told me what I needed to know.

"Both of them?" I asked. Zack nodded, his arms crossed over his chest.

"They're too young for this." Stella whispered, lightly caressing Eva's cheek. "My sweet pea." She leaned down to kiss Eva's forehead.

"I never wanted this for them." Cassie said softly. "I thought that they could grow up happy and normal…that we could protect them…"

"You're all overreacting." Jezebel appeared in the doorway. "They've no allegiance to any coven besides the one you created naturally. They're beyond the reach of the council. They'll probably never even know these children exist."

"So what do we do when they're playing and they accidentally toss another child three feet in the air?" Zack questioned his mouth a hard line.

Jezebel looked like she was about to say something else, but I held a finger up to silence her because I had noticed the slight twitching of Eva's hand on Echo's, the way her eyelids fluttered lightly, then popped open. She took a deep breath, and then her eyes began to water and she shot straight up, reaching for Stella as tears began to roll down her face.

"So much for Echo helping the nightmares." Zack said softly, almost sadly, as Eva cried quietly, but very intensely, into Stella shoulders as she hushed her. Echo's eyes flicked open, darting around the room, before she began to sob as well, pulling her bunny close to her chest.

"Echo, honey…" Cassie said, kneeling down. Tears tracked their way down my daughter's face and burned an agonizing hole in my heart. I hated to see her cry as much as I hated seeing Cassie upset. I was by her side in seconds, taking her into my arms.

"Echo, sweetheart, why are you crying?" I asked, smoothing her hair.

"Evie's scared. Evie thinks monsters are coming." Echo mumbled into my shoulder. I wasn't sure if anyone else heard her.

"Odd, the bond between them. As strong as the bond between you two." Jezebel said, nodding to Bella behind her and Cassie beside me.

"They're sisters?" Zack asked, protectively positioning himself between Jezebel and Stella. "Like Beltane and Ostara?"

"I believe so. It's hard to tell." Jezebel said with a shrug, turning on her heel and leaving the room. We all glared after her.

"I don't suppose you'd know why she's so upset?" Stella yelled after her, anger lacing her voice. Everything was quiet for a minute as Bella and Edward entered the room.

"Call her wolf, you won't believe it if it comes from me!" Jezebel yelled back. Zack glared holes right through the door.

"Zack…" I bounced Echo up and down in my arms as Cassie played with her hair. "You know…Paul being here might calm her down. When Claire threw tantrums as a kid, Quil could always calm her down."

"You think?" Zack asked, a faint hope in his voice. "If it helps her sleep…"

"I'll go call him." Cassie offered, hopping down the steps and taking Bella with her. I could hear mumbled whisperings, too low for even me to make out. I could, however, hear her clearly when she called the pack cell phone, the one we switched on and off at night so our girls could call us if they needed anything while we were running. I couldn't quite make out what Paul was saying, but he sounded upset. When Cassie hung up the phone, she trotted back upstairs. Echo had stopped crying as I reassuringly rubbed her back, but Eva hadn't stopped. She continued to sob just as intensely as Stella and Zack wore similar pained expressions.

"Paul's on his way." Cassie said softly, her hand twined with Bella's. "We were going to try and figure out what was going on with Jezebel, but she's gone again."

"Poor Evie." Bella said softly. "I used to have nightmares that bad too." We were all silent for a long time, Echo eventually fell asleep in my arms, but I was far too scared to move her back to the bed. I heard the door slam downstairs and quick footsteps tread up the stairs.

"Paul." I uttered just moments before he stormed into the room, his eyes wild with concern.

"Under control, man. Don't scare her anymore." I muttered. I watched as Paul grappled with his emotions, his arms partially outstretched for Eva. Slowly, he managed a mask of somewhat calm.

"Hey princess." He said softly. Eva quickly turned to him, tears running down her angelic face. "What's a matter? Did you have a bad dream?" He asked, holding out his arms. Stella shifted Eva to him and she clung to his neck, tears still coursing their way down her cheeks. He rocked her gently, until her body stopped shaking from the sobs and relief settled on Zack and Stella's faces.

"Thanks man." Zack said quietly. "We can never calm her down that quickly." The gratitude in his voice was quite genuine. I was certain that his feelings on Paul had done a full 180. Anything that helped Eva feel better was good in his book…and if that included Paul, so be it.

"Do you think…" Stella stared, eying Eva cautiously. "Can you get her to tell you what the nightmares are about? She won't say anything to us…Echo said something about there being monsters…"

Paul nodded, his voice low and soft as he spoke. "Evie, sweetie." He started. Eva's head bobbed up wearily. "Did you dream about monsters?"

"Monsters." She repeated softly, eyes tearing up again.

"Do you know that I fight monsters? It's my job." Paul said, injecting false cheerfulness into his voice. "And I won't let any come near you. I promise. I'll protect you."

"They could hurt you." Eva said softly, her gentle eyes meeting Paul's.

"Nah, nothing hurts me. Why don't you tell me what they look like so I can find 'em?"

"They're white, like Aunt Bella. Whiter than me." She held out a pale arm as if to demonstrate. "But they have bad eyes."

"Bad eyes? They can't see?" Paul questioned, absentmindedly bouncing her up and down.

"No." Eva shook her head. "Bad eyes. Eyes like Aunt Cassie's hair. Red eyes." She explained. "And they're here, fighting with the big dogs and Aunt Cassie's on fire, and mommy and daddy are hurt." She said, burying face in Paul's shoulder as she started to cry again. Paul had frozen, all of us staring at each other.

"Vampires." I whispered. "She's seeing vampires."


	14. Chapter 12: Afraid of the Wolves? Why?

**(AN) Where **_**does**_** Jezebel go when she wonders off? Who knows? I haven't really decided that myself. There's really no limit to where she could go, she's seen almost the entire world, but I like to think she just goes out and hides in the woods until she feels like coming out again. Also, Stella's southern accent becomes more pronounced when she's riled. You don't mess with a werewolf's imprint, but you also don't mess with a witch's kid ;-) Next chapter is all about Echo, btw. I feel like I haven't given her enough time :-) **

**Chapter 12: Afraid of the Wolves? Why?**

"Vampires." Jake whispered. "She's seeing vampires." I turned to him, gaping, my mouth open. Paul was looking at Eva with a look of absolute horror, the protective urge I understood too well causing him to grip her a little more securely. It was probably the same unconscious urge that caused Jacob to shift so he was blocking me from some danger, real or imagined.

"No wonder she's having nightmares if you two are telling her about vampires." Paul hissed, glaring at Stella and Zack. I opened my mouth to try and defend them, but Stella was already standing up. Despite the fact that she was a good foot shorter than Paul, she still managed to look imposing.

"We would never tell her anythin' like that! Y'all can't be possibly thinkin'…we don't even have any horror movies in the house! The worst thing she ever saw was Bambi for the love of God!" She threw back, I could see her curls trembling. I was afraid Jacob was going to have to leap in front of Paul to protect him.

"Alice." Zack whispered. I turned to look at him, the dark expression clouding his face.

"Alice?" Bella and I asked at the same time. Edward growled.

"Alice." He said darkly, almost like a curse. I blinked, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"She said something…yesterday. She had a vision, and then she took Evie right out of my arms. She said… 'Evie and I are going to be best friends'. And then just took off giggling…"

"Alice." I said again, my tone similar to Edward's. Bella had already whipped a small silver phone out of her pocket and was talking into it rapidly. I couldn't understand the words or the thoughts racing through her head, so I didn't attempt. Instead I skillfully maneuvered Echo out of Jake's arms and slipped her back under the covers, kissing her forehead.

"Alice is on her way." Bella finally whispered, shutting the phone.

"Let's get out of here before we wake Echo up again." I suggested. We all began to funnel out. Jacob waited for me, taking my hand.

"What do you make of it?" He whispered into my ear, his dark eyes worried.

"I…I don't know. It looks like they're manifesting witch powers…but they're too young. Their bodies shouldn't be able to handle it." I replied.

"Eva if kind of sickly…" Jacob pushed hesitantly.

"But Eva isn't the only one developing powers. All the signs point to the fact that Echo and Blaze are too. They might already have powers, we might not even be aware of them." I looked over at my sleeping daughter. "Echo and Blaze are perfectly healthy and strong."

Jake pulled me into his strong arms, so much stronger than mine ever were and began to tug me down the stairs.

Jake was so much stronger than I could ever be. We were at the bottom of the stairs before the realization fully hit me.

"That's it." I said, stopping. "That's why Eva's so weak."

"Why?" Stella asked, turning from her place on the couch. "What did you figure out? Is she okay?" She asked, her voice raising an octave.

"Their powers are manifesting early." I said softly. "That's the only way Eva could even begin to ponder what a vampire is, is if some other sense was telling her about them. They have the marks, they have the eyes, and they're all very similar, except that Eva's frail…and my kids are perfectly healthy. That, and their blood…" I looked back up the stairs, then to Jacob.

"Our kids are part werewolf…and they carry that strength with them. That's why the early manifestation isn't bothering them. Eva's all witch, she doesn't have the extra strength mine do."

Everyone was silent as they pondered that. Eva was drifting off to sleep again in Paul's arms, oblivious to the goings on about her.

"I can read Echo and Blaze's minds." Edward said suddenly. "But I can't get anything from Eva. They've inherited some strength from the werewolves…but obviously some weaknesses as well. They don't have that shield that witches do."

"It's a good thing." Zack said suddenly. I looked at him like he was mad. "Not that Eva's frail now…but that she'll grow out of it eventually. When her body finally reaches the stage where it can handle her powers, she'll get stronger. Right?" He asked uncertainly.

Nobody had time to answer him, because at that moment Alice burst through the door, her face a picture of remorse.

"If I would have known she was having visions now, I would have said something! I didn't connect the dots!" She defended instantly.

"Visions?" Paul repeated. Alice sighed, looking despairingly at Edward, then back to all of us.

"I had a vision yesterday…when you brought the kids to come see us. I saw Eva and I…and she could see the future too. I called her an annoying future-seeing sprite, and she told me I was the pot calling the kettle black. She looked about thirteen or so…I didn't think she was having them now." Alice explained.

Everyone was silent for a moment, but I could see something passing between Zack and Stella, a silent conversation. "The dreams." Zack whispered softly.

"I have to know for sure. Something I wouldn't know otherwise." Stella said absentmindedly.

"The one you had every other night. With the wolf." Zack said, reaching out to take her hand. Stella turned to Paul, her mouth set in a determined line.

"I've never seen you as a wolf before, Paul, correct?" Stella asked. Paul nodded slowly, smoothing Eva's hair as she dozed on his shoulder.

"Then I should have no way of knowing that you're a gray wolf. I shouldn't know that you're huge looking with black marks on the tips of your ears, underneath your right eye, on your neck, muzzle, and tail." Stella said softly.

"That's Paul." Jacob said immediately. "But you shouldn't know that. All except the huge part, anybody could guess that." Stella left the couch, crossing the room to stare out the window.

"I never guessed, I never made the connection." Zack mumbled.

"When I was pregnant with Evie…I used to have the most vivid dreams, with the brightest colors. I could have almost believed they were real when I woke up. They were different a lot of the time, sometimes I would see Zack and I as if I was someone else looking in. I'd see us doing unimportant things, cooking, cleaning, and walking through a park. But…it always felt so real. Then I could see this place, and Cassie and Jacob…even Echo sometimes. I thought it was because I used to think of you a lot, worry about you sometimes. I thought it was because I missed you. Then…I would see the wolf. Always the same one, different times, usually the same general place. I would see Paul. The dreams stopped after Eva was born…then I assumed it was the hormones. I'm…I'm beginning to realize those weren't my dreams." Stella finished, turning back to Zack and hiding her face in his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her.

"She sees the future in her dreams." Alice said, matter-of-factly. "You should feel special then, mutt. She's been dreaming of you since she was in the womb."

Paul looked down at Eva as if seeing her for the first time again, awed beyond words, but I was two steps beyond them in this little revelation.

"Wait. Wait. She saw vampires. Here. And I assume the big dogs she was talking about were the wolves, and she said I was on fire and Stella and Zack were hurt. Does that mean…?"

"Er. I should probably tell you something else too." Alice began. "Jezebel…took me to the future."

"What did you see?" I asked immediately, my mind traveling to that red headed girl on the banks of the icy lake. My Delilah.

"All of you." Alice said, her voice suddenly cold. "Dead. I think…the Volturi are coming."

I stopped feeling then. I was suddenly no longer aware of anything. Stella and Zack dimly explained Jezebel's power (one of them, at least) to everyone unaware. I couldn't bear to hear Alice recount the future she'd seen, because my mind was caught up in the future Jezebel had taken me too…so very different than the one she had seen.

_"Your contacts are right here, Eva." _

_"Delilah Black, if mom finds out you were on the ice before anyone tested it…" _

Our children, skimming carefree over the ice. There was hope in that future, as dim as it seemed now.

"She showed me a different one. We survived in that one." I finally managed to whisper. Jake turned to look at me.

"How do you know we survived?" He asked softly.

"Because all the kids were there. Ice skating. Jezebel showed it to me so I would fight. We had another daughter. She looked about…three years younger than Blaze. Maybe."

That brought up another problem. Blaze had just turned three so that gave me roughly twelve months to be pregnant. She would be born within the year, and I could not afford to be pregnant right now. Would that be the price? Losing Delilah so I could protect Echo and Blaze?

"Then there's hope." Stella said softly, turning to me. "There's always hope."

Time passed, amazing how it could. Alice eventually left, although Paul stayed, sleeping on the couch. Stella and Zack lay on the air mattress, talking, trying to console each other.

"What's her name?" Jacob asked softly as we lay in our own bed. "The daughter we're going to have. Do you know her name?" He pressed.

"Delilah." I whispered, her name choked me. I loved her already, and she wasn't even conceived. Having to give her up was an impossible dagger to my heart.

"Are you pregnant now?" He asked hesitantly. I shook my head.

"Not that I'm aware of." I responded, laying my head on his shoulder.

"Delilah." He repeated softly with a small sigh. "It'll work out Cassie. It always does."

"Not without some personal tragedy for me." I mused bitterly.

Going to work felt sort of pointless, Jacob closed the shop for the day. The wolves and Cullens were meeting to discuss this new threat this afternoon. The day dragged by slowly as I wearily cleaned up after the children in my care and graded art projects. I was in a rush to get home. I was a little short with Echo while trying to get her to hurry along. I would feel bad about that later and have to make it up to her.

"I don't like bringing them there." Jacob said as I handed Echo her coat after feeding them a light snack. "They might be scared, they're too young."

"They're already a part of the supernatural. Better they see the good of it young, so they'll remember that when they have to see the bad parts." I said gently. I didn't like this any more than he did, but it seemed urgent. My children had to know the world they were growing up in.

"You know, most of the imprints didn't even take the news of us so well. Kim told Jared she must have been a vampire, Lucy said Embry was on crack…" He rattled off.

"And I just said 'Oh, okay.' They're part me too, Jake. Besides, Claire knows about you all and she's not frightened."

"Claire didn't see Quil as a wolf until she was ten! They're five, four, and three!" Jake sputtered indignantly. I stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

"It'll be fine." I said softly. "How could they be scared of a big bunch of puppies?" Jake finally gave up, shrugging his shoulders. "You'll meet us there?"

"Yeah, we're gonna have our own meeting first, get all the information out in the clear so we're all on the same page. Sam, Embry, and Jared are coming out of retirement." He snickered a little bit at that as I guided Echo and Blaze out the door.

"Hey, wait." He called, running down the porch steps and swinging Echo into his arms. I watched as I began to strap Blaze into his car seat.

"Echo, sweetheart." He said softly. "You know all those legends, about the wolves that protect our town?" Echo nodded, tilting her head to the side. "Well…I just want you to remember something. The wolves that you hear howling at night? They're your friends, okay? And I'll never send you anywhere scary or let anything happen to you, okay? I promise."

"I know, daddy." Echo kissed his cheek and he opened the car door with a sigh, strapping her into the booster seat.

"I'll protect you, and your mommy, and Blaze." He mumbled softly. Echo grinned up at him.

"I love you daddy." She said sweetly. Jacob smiled.

"Yeah. I love you too kiddo. Have fun, I'll see you soon." He said as he shut the door, coming over to my side of the car. He leaned in the open window and kissed my cheek.

"Be safe?" He asked. I giggled.

"What do I look like now? Bella?" I asked, rolling my eyes. He chuckled as the engine started.

"Love you!" I called out as I pulled out of the driveway and wound my way down the roads of La Push and onto the highway. It was only a couple of minutes. I contented myself with listening to Echo sing along with the radio. The directions Alice had given me were very direct. I pulled onto a gravel road and followed it till it ended in a wide circle. The Cullen cars were all there, it seemed, along with three of the Cullens.

"Cassie!" Bella called, running to meet us at the car. Edward and Emmett followed, grinning.

"Hey, are we walking the rest of the way?" I asked as I stepped out of the car. Bella was already fiddling with Echo's booster seat and Edward had Blaze, so I felt pretty useless.

"Nope. Not unless you want to take a half a day to get there. We're running." Emmett declared. I looked at my kids nervously.

"They'll be fine, Alice already checked. Well, she can't see Blaze, but Echo will be okay. Eva handled it well."

"They're already in the clearing?" I asked.

"Yep. Come on Red!" Emmett picked me up and I had to fight the urge to squeal. Echo laughed as Bella tossed her onto her shoulders.

"Okay, Echo, Blaze. We run really fast, so if you get scared, close your eyes." Edward said softly. I closed my own eyes.

The wind rushed past too fast and it was a little hard to breathe. I ground my teeth together, listening as the wind whipped past, carrying noises of laughter from my kids.

At least they were having a good time, I thought ruefully. I clenched Emmett's shirt in my hands. We came to a stop suddenly, but I was finding it hard to move my fingers.

"I'm too old for this, Emmett." I declared. He laughed, gently setting me on the ground.

"You're fine! Open your eyes!" Bella laughed. I sat down on the ground and slowly opened my eyes. Echo was running across the field, tackling Eva in a huge hug. I giggled, looking around me. There were baseball bats to my right.

"Baseball?" I asked. Bella nodded enthusiastically, sitting beside me while Blaze ran to his sister and cousin.

"Yep. We were gonna play a game after the meeting, it's going to storm. You should stay and watch, maybe you can even play." She offered, tantalizing. I shook my head and lay back in the grass, trying to relax.

I might have dozed off, because the next thing I heard was a howl in the woods. I sat up straight, looking out into the forest the same direction everyone else was. I managed to miss the person next to me.

"Awake, sunshine?" Jezebel asked, bemused. I started, placing a hand over my heart as I turned to look at her.

"When did you get here?" I asked with a hiss. She shrugged her delicate shoulders.

"Not certain. Your wolves are coming." She said. And sure enough, I could feel them, each a point of energy as bright as a fire. I turned to watch them as they emerged from the trees. As the first two emerged into vision, my Jacob and Sam, I turned to look at my children.

They were frozen in place, staring wide eyed as the wolves approached cautiously. They didn't look frightened, but fascinated, in awe. Suddenly, so fast I was almost certain it wasn't really happening, Echo took off.

Not from the wolves, but toward them.

I stood quickly, but Jezebels vice like fingers quickly wrapped around my wrist. Zack and Stella moved to prevent Eva and Blaze from running the same way. I was sure the Cullen's could catch her, but it would be dangerous for them to get that close to the wolves. I could blink to get her…

"Beltane, stay where you are, let her go." Jezebel ordered, pulling me back down. I looked at her like she was mad for a second, trying to pull my wrist away from her. I couldn't even blink, it was like she was holding me back.

"It's fine, sunshine. Look." Jezebel inclined her head and I followed her gaze. My eyes widened in surprise.

Somehow, Echo had known which wolf was Jacob. She was clinging to the russet brown wolf's leg now with an expression of childish delight. Everyone else looked as surprised as me when she giggled.

"Daddy, is that why you told me not to be afraid? 'Cause you're a wolf? Cause you're all wolves?" She asked lightly. Jezebel to my side, laughed lightly.


	15. Chapter 13: Echo Isabella Black

Chapter 13: Echo Isabella Black

**(AN) Haha! It's hard to write the pack mind, because I know they're all talking at once, but I'm sure a lot of stuff isn't relevant to the story . I've been wanting to write this scene since I started EoF, it's the first way I pictured Echo. I also might have started Seth/Echo shippers. Whoops. "Stupid, annoying, chain-smoking witch" is one of my favorite quotes. It reminds me of the "stupid shiny volvo owner" from Twilight :-) **

**Chapter 13: Echo Isabella Black**

Shocked wasn't quite the world, it wasn't strong enough. Every wolf in my head had gone silent, watching as my daughter ran her small hands through my fur.

_Huh._ Sam finally managed to get out. _Didn't see that coming._ Seth coughed his barking laugh to my left. This opened the door for everyone to start speaking at once.

_How did she know it was you, Jake? _Leah pressed. _Do you think Blaze would know me?_

_Not afraid at all. Not even surprised, guess she got that from Red._ Quil commented.

_They all wanted to run over here, Stell and Zack caught the other two. _Embry pointed out. I wasn't paying attention anymore.

My daughter wasn't afraid of me. She knew who I was, even trapped in the body of a monster. I grinned, lowering myself carefully to the ground and bringing my head to her level. I felt a swell of pride and love in my heart.

"Daddy, Eva and Blaze wanna come see you too." Echo said, taking my muzzle in her hands and letting her fingers run up behind my ears. "You're so soft." She cooed, burying her face into my fur. I let my eyes flick up, scanning the clearing. The Cullens looked as shocked as we did, Eva and Blaze did indeed look like they wanted to join Echo, and Cassie looked torn, Jezebel's hand on her wrist. As my eyes moved over them, Jezebel let her go. Cassie was gone suddenly, at my side within a second.

"Echo, sweetie…" She began, kneeling down.

"Mamma, did you know daddy's a wolf?" Echo asked brightly. Cassie couldn't help but smile.

"I was aware of it, yes. How'd you know that was daddy?" She asked.

"He feels like daddy." Echo said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "And daddy told me not to be afraid of the wolves. 'Cause he is one." She explained, as if there were nothing more to it, just a daughter's instinctive recognition of her dad.

"Do you recognize anyone else?" Cassie said, slowly pulling Echo away from me. Her eyes traveled up and down the line, pausing once or twice, the longest on Sam, before she skipped down the rest of the line until she ran into Seth and Leah standing side by side.

"Seth!" She called out, reaching out a hand. Seth snorted with another laugh.

_Hah, she likes __**me **__best! _Seth said smugly as he trotted from his place in line to Echo.

_Gentle, Seth._ I warned. It probably wasn't necessary, Seth loved Echo as much as we did, he'd been babysitting her half her life. It was probably why she'd recognized him out of the bunch. Seth gave me a disparaging look over his shoulder as he sat down beside Echo and Cassie. Echo giggled, reaching out a hand for him. Seth's eyes glittered playfully as he carefully reached out one huge paw, setting it gently on Echo's head. This seemed to thrill her more as she shook it off, her laughter delighted and captivated.

_Haha kid! _Seth said in his mind, forgetting momentarily that Echo couldn't hear him. He brushed around her, letting his tail trail across her face.

"That tickles Seth!" Echo yelled, playfully pushing Seth away. I knew it wasn't with even half the force necessary to push him over, but he fell anyway onto his side, his eyes drifting closed.

"Aw, c'mon Seth, I wanted to play!" Echo pouted, kneeling next to the tan mountain of fur. "I know you're not really sleepin' Seth! Get up!" She demanded, tossing her arms around his neck. Seth was having problems keeping a straight face.

_What a kid. _Seth commented in wonder. I had to agree with him. I think everyone did.

"Stella, Zack, bring Blaze and Eva here." Cassie asked. Stella took Eva's hand, gently leading her forward. Eva didn't look surprised at all, but then, she'd probably all seen this before. Buying her Christmas presents was going to be impossible. Blaze just looked amazed, he was reaching for me from Zack's arms before he was close enough. I pressed my nose into his hand, grinning as he laughed.

"Dad, dad." He chimed, "Dads a puppy!" He declared. I snorted, everyone else chuckled behind me.

_Leah, let's see if he knows you. _Sam asked, watching as Leah slowly left her own place in line. I could feel the fear in her mind.

_It'll be okay, Leah. _I tried to soothe.

_What if he's terrified? _She asked, pausing just out of his eyesight.

_I don't think my kids know the meaning of the word 'terrified'. _I stated. Leah sighed, gathering her courage as she gently poked Blaze with her nose. He turned to her, eyes wide. It was silent for a minute and then Blaze grinned wide.

"Lela!" He yelled, squirming out of Zack's grip and onto the ground. Leah's heart soared, a burst of happiness that nearly made me giddy as she got down to his level and he wrapped his arms around her head. It didn't help that Sam felt his own overriding sense of happiness as well. Their relationship was…unusual, but nice now that Leah had Blaze. They sincerely wanted each other to be happy.

_Two down._ Sam said, looking over at Paul. He seemed more relaxed, more confident that Leah had been.

_She's always known me. _Paul said softly, edging forward to meet Stella and Eva. There was confidence there, but also a hint of guilt. I didn't pry any farther into his mind, but contented myself with watching as he slowly walked.

"Look, Evie, someone is coming to see you." Stella said brightly, Eva's eyes were already focused on Paul as he slowed to a stop in front of her. She smiled her beatific smile and reached for him, her fingers lightly touching his fur.

"My Paul." She said, wonder lacing the edges of her voice. Paul melted.

_Always._ He added on to that, resting his muzzle in Eva's hands. She didn't say anything else, she didn't have to. The Cullens were on their way over, though, looking bemused.

"Sorry to interrupt, we were having fun watching." Carlisle said genuinely, gesturing to Seth and Echo on the ground. "But there are really important things to talk about."

_Do you have any knowledge of when the Volturi might choose to arrive? _Sam asked, down to business once more. An uneasy feeling of dread filled the pack. We all moved a little closer together, our hair standing on end.

"No." Edward answered. "Alice is watching their every decision along with the coven in Denali. We've actually called to warn them, they'd prefer to be left alone by the Volturi. They sentenced their mentor to death centuries ago. So far she can see nothing that would bring them here."

_What will happen when they do arrive? _Sam asked again. Edward sighed.

"They will wipe out all of La Push and your pack." He said, a weight on his shoulder. "They'll want to destroy your entire species."

_How in the world do they think they're going to make that look like an accident? _I scoffed. Edward shook his head.

"They've done it before. They'll make it look like a natural disaster, an earthquake, a forest fire, a landslide. Maybe they'll leave a few token survivors, track them down in a couple years and kill them as well."

_So you just wanted to pass along the news then? _Sam asked. Edward shook his head.

"No…we've decided…" He looked to Carlisle.

"We've decided to fight with you. We won't leave you alone to face this." Carlisle said. "And we do have a few small advantages."

"Me, for one, once they do make the decision I'll know all the specifics." Alice piped up. "And I'm old enough to understand, unlike Evie. Now that she's told me where to look…"

"And you have us." Bella said, taking Edward's hand.

_What can Bella do? _I asked. Edward looked at her.

"They want to know what you can do." He said. Bella smiled.

"I'm a mental shield. I can block abilities that have to do with your mind. Their greatest offensive weapons both have abilities that work only in your mind, I'll be able to block them from all of you." Bella explained. There was a rumble of appreciation.

"And you have probably the greatest offensive weapon ever built." Jasper added on, darting a glance at Cassie. I had to fight back the growl.

"That's me, regular weapon of mass destruction." Cassie joked back, hooking her thumbs in her pockets. I didn't like the idea of Cassie anywhere near this fight. I could tell everyone else felt the same way, except Leah, who was busy calling us a bunch of chauvinistic male pigs.

_So…we have an alliance?_ Sam asked. Edward nodded, a grim smile on his face.

"We'll let you know the instant we hear anything else. Keep an eye on Eva till then. She seems to be getting things Alice can't." I nodded.

_What side is she on?_ Quil asked, jerking his head toward the witch in the opposite end of the clearing. She didn't look toward us, perhaps she didn't care.

"Does anyone know what Jezebel is planning to do?" Edward asked quietly. The three witches shrugged.

"She's never fought before." Zack said condescendingly. "She probably won't now, but Cassie knows her best."

"And I know almost nothing about her. Jezebel isn't on our side, or theirs, she's playing some sort of chess game with something much bigger than us. We're just her pawns."

"Difficult to play with pawns with freewill." Jezebel breathed softly, her voice floating on the wind over to us. If Cassie heard her, she didn't acknowledge it.

_That's it then. We'll be in touch. _Sam said, his thoughts flicking anxiously back to Emily. The wolves began to scatter. The only ones soon left in the clearing were Leah, Paul, Seth, and me.

"We're going to play a game of baseball. It's going to…" Edward was drowned out by a large crack of thunder.

_If Cassie wants to. _I shrugged, Edward turned from me with an eye roll. I glared at his back.

"Cass, are you and the kids playing baseball?" He asked. Cassie looked up from beside Echo, Seth towered over both of them as he stretched.

"I want to play!" Echo declared, standing up quickly and tossing her arms around Edward. He lifted her up and spun her around quickly, before putting her on the ground.

"Go see Alice then and she'll get you ready." Edward pointed at the other end of the field where Alice was digging in her bag. When Echo ran off, Edward turned to Cass. "We want you to play too."

Cass shot an apprehensive look back at me, then at the field. I huffed, gently pushing her forward. She laughed and walked beside me as we went over to the gaggle of vampires outfitting my daughter in all the baseball gear she could need.

"Love you Jake." Cassie whispered softly. My heart soared and I could hear Seth making fun of me in the back of my head. I dropped my head to rub against her arm.

"Alright, Echo is going to bat first, then Cassie!" Alice announced, leading Echo to home plate. Jasper stood behind her, holding a baseball bat.

"Alright, Emmett pitches really hard, so I'm going to help you hit the ball the first couple times, okay?" Jasper said as he handed Echo the bat and helped her swing it a few times.

"Not too hard Emmett. She's just a baby." Esme said from behind us. I really hoped Echo hadn't heard.

"Alright, here it comes Echo!" Emmett announced, swinging his arm back and letting the ball fly. It was going fast, dangerously fast. I growled low, just before the bat cracked into it with a noise like thunder. Echo squealed as the ball went flying, and Jasper quickly picked her up and zipped her to first base. He set her down gently, shaking his head.

"Okay, you gotta make it on your own from here. Just run that way when your mom hits the ball." He pointed to second base. I hoped they let her make it there on her own.

Jasper flitted back to home, beckoning Cassie. She sighed, exasperated, as she moved from my side and to home. Jasper picked up the bat again and handed it to Cassie.

"Do you need help batting?" Jasper asked. Cassie smirked, shaking her head.

"Nah, I think I can take Emmett." She teased. Emmett grinned, winding up for the pitch. I watched carefully, reading to jump in front of her if I needed to. The ball sailed out of Emmett's hands a little slower, as if he were taking it easy on her. Cassie's eyes glowed deep purple for a moment as the ball sailed away from her and into the trees without ever hitting the bat.

"Cheating!" Emmett declared as Cassie blinked to first base. I chuckled.

"It's fair!" Echo was almost to second now. I watched as Alice congratulated her and told her where to run next, but Echo's attention was diverted, more on her mother than Alice. I tilted my head to the side, trying to figure it out.

Edward swaggered up to home, swinging the bat a few times in the air. Emmett pitched his fastest ball yet, but Edward sent it sailing out of the clearing easily. Rosalie ran after it.

Then two things happened. Cassie, laughing, blinked to second base.

And Echo blinked to third.

I barked in surprise, the sound echoing through the clearing. Alice was waving her arms around, Esme was standing now, apprehensive.

"Time out! Time out!" Alice called shrilly. Cassie's eyes were wide, staring at Echo in disbelief. Jezebel was moving, I could hear her behind me. I turned to her and growled, the hackles rising on the back of my neck.

"Jacob, I need you!" Cassie yelled. I ground my teeth, ducking around Jezebel to go and change into my clothes.

_Is she alright Jake? Is Echo okay? _Seth asked, trotting into the woods as well.

_I think so. I don't know. This never would have happened if god damn Jezebel would never have showed up… _I responded.

_Stupid, annoying, chain-smoking witch._ Seth said in agreement.

Stupid, annoying, chain-smoking witch, indeed.


	16. Interlude: Pandora's Box

**(AN) Another Interlude, more backstory, then back to Echo and all the really awesome things she can do. What would you do to save the people you love? It's probably a really good thing Cassie doesn't have access to this kind of power (and knows someone that's lived through the consequences. And just because Jezebel doesn't fight, doesn't mean she can't, geesh Zack. :-p**

**Interlude: Pandora's Box**

I understand.

I wanted to shout it at him as he growled at me. _Don't you see, I understand you stupid dog! _

I didn't, my control was too good for such silly displays of emotion that could do no good. What I couldn't tell them, what I could never say aloud, was that I was scared.

Tick-toc, tick-toc.

_My child was special too. _I wanted to say. _He was beautiful, just like her._ Edward's head whipped up and I shrank back. I couldn't stop the thoughts from flowing, but I could stop him from hearing them. So I was gone, gone miles and miles away. And I relived my memories.

_"I've seen the future." She said, sweeping a dark lock of hair from her head as I gathered flowers in my hands. He ran ahead of us, spinning, blinking, enjoying the light of the summer day._

_"And?" I asked, laying my head on her shoulder. She was so distant now, I hated that. "Pandora? Dorie?" I pressed._

_"He's going to have to fight. The world will become dark, and he'll fight it." She whispered. A strong wind whipped through the clearing. Our son turned to us, watching._

_"No! He's just a baby!" I cried out, dropping the flowers in my hand. The breeze whirled around me. _

_"It's okay, my Belle." She soothed, picking up the flowers I had dropped and twining some in my dark curls. She leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I'll fight it, instead. I'll protect both of you." She promised, and then she was gone._

_He was in front of me in an instant, his hand tugging on my skirt, questions floating through his head. _

_"She'll be back." I said as I knelt down in front of him. "You do know that we love you more than anything, right? More than anything in the world?" He smiled, a brilliant, blinding smile. _

_"Yes, momma." He said softly, kissing my cheek. _

I should have known. How was I supposed to face the fact that my child, my son, had a destiny far greater than mine, far past that of my Pandora. In our great, wide, bright world, there were only two things of importance. We were given a mission to raise our son, to make him strong and healthy.

And protect the box.

It needed protecting from her.

_I couldn't find them. I searched and searched, combed the whole world for hours. I never dreamed of the place they would be, it was the last place I searched. I picked my way over the mountain rocks, calling their names. _

_I heard the sobbing first, I hurried my pace, to the inside of the cave. There she was, kneeling beside a cold body, the box on the ground. I couldn't make sense of the scene I was seeing, because it made no sense._

_He was dead, my young son, his body on the ground, the light gone, and the box was open. Pandora was covered in something…something horrible, it writhed and seethed. When she looked up, her eyes were red as blood. The flowers I was holding dropped onto the floor, scattering their petals everywhere._

_"What have you done?" I asked, my voice breaking on every syllable as the truth hit me like a brick wall. _

_"I wanted the power to save him…I'm…" She croaked out, sobs racking her body again. _

_We had failed both our missions._

"Belle?" Her familiar voice asked me now. Of course she would have felt the wrenching agony I was in. I looked up, through the starry sky, to those same red eyes.

"You doomed us all." I whispered harshly. "And I couldn't stop you."

Time was running out, drawing closer and closer to the inevitable end. There was small comfort to be had in the fact we were doomed together, at the least.

That had to be something.

"Special, is she? This Beltane child?" Pandora asked. "A threat to me? A threat to you?"

"If you touch her, Pandora, I swear I will…" I rose now, fury rising in me. Pandora raised an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't hurt me." She said simply. I wasn't aware of what I was doing, but I saw my arm fly through the air, and the wind whipped her violently to the ground. She looked up at me, shocked.

"Why would I not?" I asked. "When you have destroyed everything? Why not destroy the rest myself?"

And I was gone again.

_I opened the box myself later. I knew it had no power, I could no longer feel it pulsing. There was still something inside it, though. One very small light. Was it hope? It pulsed in response to me, but I closed the box and locked it away._

_Someday I would let hope into the world, but not for me. There was no hope for me._


	17. Chapter 14: The First Corruption

**(AN) Yay! Got moved into school, Mateo is great, new roomie is fantastic, classes seem like they'll be okay. Sorry this chapter took so long, but it'll probably be this long to update from now on :-( Hope you keep reading anyway! **

**Chapter 14: The First Corruption**

My heart was in my throat, constricting my ability to breathe. I could hear it thudding, like the wings of a bird panicked as it tried to escape its cage.

"Breathe, Cass." Bella said softly, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "It'll be alright, she's fine."

"She is _not_ fine. Did you see my child just blink?!" I whispered harshly. Bella nodded grimly.

"Yes, but let's be honest, we kind of always knew this might happen. There was always going to be something special about them, it was just a matter of whether they were going to be teenaged werewolves or witches." Bella stroked my hair softly. I took one deep, shaky breath.

"She's five." I choked a little bit on the words, but Bella nodded.

"I know. I know. Just imagine how special they'll be when they're older." Bella stated softly. I looked over at her, trying to keep my thoughts coherent. "Just go and talk to her, Cassie. She's five. She doesn't have any idea why all of us are having a heart attack."

I looked over, examining Echo's face. She looked…impatient. She tugged on Alice's hundred dollar shirt, I couldn't hear the words, but I could imagine them. She would want to know what a time out was, why Momma looked upset, and when we were going to start playing again. Zack and Stella hovered behind me, Stella's hand on my shoulder.

"I'll go talk to her. She might not have any idea what she just did." I whispered. I looked over to the woods as both Jake and Seth melted out of the leaves. I walked the distance to Echo, examining her closely as I approached.

She didn't look different, her eyes were still the same purple hue, her hair was just as dark as before, wrapping around her like a blanket of night. When her face turned to me, I couldn't see a witch in their features, no old wisdom, no heavy burden of an impossible mission, only the light and airy features of a child in a world where nothing could hurt her.

My daughter, I thought fiercely, my daughter who would grow tall and strong, who would help Eva ice skate, who would run and jump and play basketball with her brother and sister if I had to kill for it. Jezebel was right, she'd always been right, I would fight.

I somehow managed to get all this through my muddled thoughts before I reached her, at almost the same time Jacob did.

"What's wrong mommy?" She asked sweetly as I knelt down. "Did we break a rule?"

"No, nobody did anything wrong." I said carefully. "We were just…a little surprised by you. How did you get to third so quick?"

Echo smiled then, mischievous as she leaned up to whisper in my ear. "I dunno. I think it was magic…I just saw you do it, and then I thought that I'd like to, and then I was here!"

I smiled back at her, kissing her forehead. "Do you think you could do it again?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. She imitated me, and then she was gone. I felt the power in the air and followed the vibration to the other side of the field, back at second base.

"That's really cool, Echo." Jake said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Can you come back too?"

The girl giggled, and reappeared instantly back in front of us, holding her arms out to Jake. He scooped her into a big hug, his eyes locking with mine from behind her dark hair. She didn't seem tired and there was still a hint of blood in her cheeks, a healthy flush on her arms.

_Her heartbeat is normal too. Same as Eva and Blaze's. _Bella's voice echoed in my head. That was a relief at least, whatever she was doing wasn't making her weak.

"How do you feel, Echo, are you tired?" I asked. She let go of her dad and turned to me, shaking her head.

"No, I wanna keep playin'." She stated, grinning up at Seth, who'd approached behind Jacob. "Now Seth can play too! And Daddy!"

"Hey Echo…" I said softly, looking into her eyes. "I want to see if you can do something else, for mommy, okay?"

"Okay." She said simply, smiling up at me. I held out my hand in the air between us, kneeling to her level.

"If you can't do this, it's okay. You don't have to, we love you just as you are, and you're already special." I reassured her. She nodded, rolling her eyes. I closed my eyes for a second, feeling deep inside me for that spark.

It was somewhere behind my heart, I thought. It seemed like a flint that I could strike at will to light all my blood on fire or perhaps some sort of fuse that just needed attention to be lit. I found that spark and concentrated on it until it was a raging, warm fire, and I could feel it spreading, licking along the inside of my veins, dancing under my skin.

I concentrated to bringing it my hand, feeling it build up and then burst through my skin. I opened my eyes to see the bright red flames dancing in my palm. Echo's eyes were wide, an expression of wonder in her eyes as she held out her hand and closed her eyes. I could see her forehead wrinkle as she concentrated.

I knew she had hit it before I think she did herself. I felt the slight jump in the fire in my hand. It had always felt more like a living being to me than any force of nature, something that had a mind of its own, which only bent to my will because I was as much a part of it as it was a part of me. I felt the fire in my hand bend towards my daughter, unable to go past my fingers, but searching for its fellow. The fire flared to life on her fingertips and her eyes popped open, a triumphant smile on her lips. Jacob let out a rush of breath and she reached out, her hand touching mine.

The fire in our hands melded together instantly and I became instantly aware of Echo in a way I had never been before, as if by joining the fire I'd joined our bodies. I could feel her every heartbeat as an echo of my own, the adrenaline kicking in and running through our veins, the way her lungs inflated with each breath.

"Momma." She whispered, entranced. I smiled, nodding my head. The fire, the power, wasn't doing anything to her. She was handling it like she was already full grown. It wasn't hurting her…it was a part of her; an inescapable, completely irremovable part just like it was of me. I didn't expect the feeling of pride that rushed over me as she discovered this part of herself.

"Watch this." I whispered, concentrating on the flickering flames in our joined hands. The fire stretched and spun, forming into the shape of a flaming wolf. Echo giggled.

"Is that daddy?" She asked. I nodded and the flames dispersed. She wrinkled her forehead again, and the flames slowly began to bend to her will, forming into a lopsided heart.

"That's beautiful, Coco." I said softly. "Can you put it out?" She nodded, and the flames disappeared, not just in her hand, but my own. I no longer could feel her heartbeats against my own, but I was reassured She kissed my cheek, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Can we do that again?" She asked. "I wanna learn how to make a wolf." Jake laughed nervously. I nodded.

"Of course, sweetie, but we have to be careful, okay? Don't do that around anyone but us, and be very careful not to burn anyone, because it really hurts." I explained. Echo nodded, grinning brightly.

"Can we play baseball again now?" She asked. The Cullen's quickly scrambled back into position before I could nod.

"Seth, can you play for me?" I asked. He nodded, jogging off to second base. I took Jake's hand and led him aside.

"Is she okay?" He asked, looking over his shoulder. I nodded.

"When we were both on fire…I could feel her heart beating, Jake. She isn't bothered by the power in her, it isn't hurting her…" I trailed off as Jake pulled me into a bone crunching hug.

"Guess I'd better check the fire insurance policy, huh?" He joked, kissing my forehead.

"Heh, guess so." I responded as I watched my girl zip around the bases. "Where'd Jezebel go?"

"I wanted to talk to you about that." Edward murmured in my ear. "She took off, but she thought of something very interesting before she left… I could see in her head a child…she said it was hers, that her son was special too."

My head snapped up and I looked at Edward, my lips pressing together in confusion.

"She never had a child, ever." I answered. "Not in the time I've known her."

"Well, she either never told you about him or she's in extreme denial." Edward said softly. "But I saw him in her mind, and he looked like her. Someone else too, just for a second…"

And so I waited. When we got back home, I put the kids to bed and lay next to Jacob until he fell asleep. I snuck downstairs, down past Zack and Stella, and sat on the porch. I saw a flash of silver in the woods, Paul or Leah, I thought, checking to make sure we were all safe and sound.

I felt her before I saw her, the creeping presence that I was attuned to so well. I saw the red glow of her cigarette in the light.

"Jezebel." I called out. She stopped in the shadow of the tree, waiting for me to continue. "Dites-moi la vérité." I finished, worried about being heard by Jake or any one of the numerous wolves in the woods. Jezebel's eyes hardened and she hovered near the forest, turning to look over her shoulder longingly. "Jezebel, s'il vous plaît."

"Venez avec moi." Jezebel breathed softly, holding out her hand. I took the stairs slowly, looking back up at the house before I took her hand and felt the familiar pulling of my body through space. We were still in La Push, the night time clouds, the shady green trees, it was all extremely familiar, but we were probably out in the woods pretty far.

"What's going on, Jezebel? What are you hiding from us?" I questioned. She turned her tainted purple eyes to me and sighed.

"I have to tell you a story." She whispered. "An awful, terrible story that has no happy ending." I sat down on the grass, feeling the wet blades soak my legs.

"In the beginning, God created the world and filled it with light and happiness. He locked all the darkness away in a box, and hid it deep in a cave in the highest mountains in the world. Then he created humans, but he gave them the gift of curiosity, and so he created two to protect the box from the humans, to protect humans from themselves. My soul mate and I were the ones designated to protect it. We were given powers to do so, powers to see the future, powers to move objects, control nature, to be wherever we wanted to be whenever we wanted to be, but I wanted something else…"

"My soul mate was in the body of a woman, as was I, and we still are. I watched human couples having children, raising them as their own, and I wanted one more than anything in the world. It made me ill with desire, and Pandora, my soul mate, asked God to give me a child. He did. My child's name was Adam."

"He was…special, even I could see that from the start. Too intelligent for his age, too powerful, but I loved him…I still love him. I worried about his future, about his purpose on Earth, as did Pandora. She was the one who could see the future originally, not I. She saw that, someday, the world would be an awful dark place, and our son would fight the darkness. We were frightened by it. He was just a child, we didn't want him to fight. Pandora…my Dorie…"

She stopped, taking deep, ragged breaths. I moved closer to her, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Pandora…she wanted to protect us. She thought that if she could just open the box a little bit, take some of the power out of it, we would be fine. But you can't open the box halfway. The power in it killed our son because he wasn't strong enough yet to fight it. Then it took Pandora's body and twisted her mind, made her body cold and hard, her eyes glow red. Now all she eats are humans."

"Why didn't you destroy her? You could have stopped all of this…" I trailed off, trying to drag myself from the scene in my head, Jezebel crying over the body of a small boy that looked too much like my Blaze.

"I couldn't, for so many reasons. I don't think I was ever powerful enough, I think that if she truly desired me dead, she'd have no problem carrying it out. But there's a part of her that's still mine, the last human part of her that can't bear to hurt me anymore than she has. And that's the part of her I still love, after all this time, I can't bear to destroy her myself, even though I know she should be destroyed. Can you really fault me for that, Beltane? Would you destroy your wolf, if you knew it was the right thing to do, even if a part of him still loved you as well?"

I was quiet. I couldn't imagine the situation in my own life. Jacob would never do that to me. Jacob loved our children more than he loved himself and Jacob loved me more than anything in the world. "It would never happen to me." I whispered softly.

"The wolf would do anything to save you, Beltane, he would even open up Pandora's box." She said softly. I winced inside, curling my legs up to my chest.

"I'm sorry, Jezebel." I laid my head on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry about what's happened to you."

"It's I who should be sorry, because my curse has always haunted you." Jezebel softly whispered. "Pandora has always been wary of your power, even though you could never defeat her on your own. I always tried to protect you from her. I failed miserably at that as well." My forehead wrinkled in confusion and Jezebel's face became a mask of pain. She reached over and gently tucked a strand of red hair behind my ear. "Mabon, Beltane, she sent Mabon for you. I never realized until it was far too late. She sent him to find some way to destroy you, my precious sunshine."

The blood in my veins turned to ice and I froze. "How…how did I never see it?" I asked softly, my eyes darting around the clearing, waiting to find some sort of spectral demon walking toward me.

"Blinded by the light inside you, darling. She could never get close to you herself, it hurts her, but she knew that your brightness extinguished the darkness around you. By sending him, she hid her plan from me and you as well." Jezebel explained, her face sad. "I'm a terrible mother. I couldn't protect Adam…couldn't even save the girls I created."

"You really did create us, then?" I asked, trying to stretch my memory back father. Cobbled streets and white columns, a dark night like this one…

"Yes. I didn't expect that a light, hidden in darkness, would take human forms. Suddenly there were two little girls standing in front of me. I nearly had a heart attack." She seemed almost tender when she said that, nostalgic almost. "You cried when I left Ostara at a different house, but you calmed down as soon as I said you'd see her again. You believed me."

"I can't remember. I'm sorry. Hope turned out well." I tried to say brightly. Jezebel laughed, the sound more ironic than anything.

"I didn't create Hope. She was in the box too, I just let her out. Your Atham freaked out on me one night, and I told him to have a little hope. He told me would never find hope again, so…" She shrugged. "I released her from the box, and surprisingly she took human form as well."

I thought back to Stella, her seemingly endless supply of happiness and hope, even when she was having a difficult pregnancy. This seemed like a rather good explanation.

"You want us to defeat Pandora." I stated. Jezebel nodded.

"Defeat her to save her, it's the only way. So many people have died…" She seemed choked up about this part. I let it go.

"I can't do it though, not alone. But…Echo and Blaze…"

"Eva and Delilah as well." She interrupted. "They're all very special, but she's never thought them as much a threat, unlike your first."

I froze again, my eyes widening, the thought of the first Christmas I'd been lavished with baby gifts.

"She killed…" I began. Jezebel folded me into a hug, kissing my forehead.

"She murdered your baby. I'm sorry." She whispered. Tears built up in my eyes. "Oh sunshine…don't cry."

"How do you expect me to take this _calmly?!_" I nearly screeched. Jezebel squeezed my hand.

"It's all meant to be, you'll see. Even when I leave, it'll be meant to be." She whispered. Then she went still, listening for something. She stood abruptly, offering me her hand.

"Let's get you back, I must go." She said hurriedly. "I'll be here in the morning." I took her hand and was instantly back in front of my house.

"Where are you going?" I asked. She smiled sadly.

"She wants to see me, if I don't go to her, she'll come here. And you're not ready for that yet." Jezebel whispered. And then she was gone again. I fought the urge to collapse on the ground from information overload and instead turned on my heel and went into the house.

We would fight, there was never a doubt. We would fight the Volturi, the darkness, and anything else that came our way.

"Stella." I whispered, making my way over to the air mattress and lightly shaking her. "Stella, I need your help."

_French translation (in order): "Tell me the truth." "Jezebel, please." "Come with me." _


	18. Chapter 15: The Lost Sister

**(AN) Lalala! Don't hurt me! Hope everyone's fall is going well! Also, you should all ready my new story, Red As Blood: After Snow White. It's going to be a dark echo of a lot of fairy tales ;-)**

**Chapter 15: Lost Sister**

"Jacob." Cassie's voice cut straight through my dreams. "Jakey, wake up." She begged. I yawned and rolled over, finding her waist and pulling her to me.

"It's not morning yet." I responded, kissing her forehead.

"I know, Jake, Stella and I are summoning things. Do you want to watch?" She asked brightly. My eyes popped open.

"Summoning things?" I asked, suddenly unsure if I was still dreaming.

"Yeah, good spirits. C'mon." As I rolled out of bed and began to throw clothes on, she told me the whole story. Jezebel's story.

"That's sick, Cass." I said as she took my hand. "This woman…killed her son, and she still loves her?"

Cassie shrugged, her eyes dark and troubled. "Would you love me if I did something horrible, Jake?" She asked, looking up at me.

I sucked in my breath and tried hard not to think about those scenarios. "It would never happen." I said stubbornly.

"I know." She said softly, kissing my cheek. "Stella's waiting."

"Why are we summoning helpful spirits?" I asked. It seemed a little bit ridiculous to me. Witches prancing around my back yard, calling spirits, with werewolves patrolling the woods and vampires just a few miles away were a little trite. It was like some bad horror movie.

"Because I would like some advice, or to know how this is going to happen, or to tell me what I need to do." She rattled off. I pulled her close to me.

"Cassie, this isn't all on you, y'know. We're all going to pull throw this together."

"Then why do I feel like it's all falling right on me? Like I have some big universal target on my head?" She asked.

"Because you're insane." I snorted. She glared.

"Am not." She said frostily.

"Sure, sure. I love you anyway." I answered. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room and I followed at a distance. We went out the back door and down the steps. Stella was already out there, and had turned my backyard into a scene from The Covenant. In what looked sort of like chalk, she'd marked out a white circle with four stars arranged in a half moon shape in the middle. She was now lighting candles carefully, rearranging them to fit the circle carefully. Zack was to the side holding an ancient looking book open to the right page.

"So, this ritual stuff…" I asked him as Cassie left my side to talk to Stella. "You learn it from that book? It's like a cookbook?"

"It's a little bit more difficult than that." Zack replied with a smirk. "You have to have the right pronunciation, and you have to truly believe in your heart that whatever you do is going to work, along with a shitload of concentration."

"Far be it from me to question. I can barely make spaghetti." I explained, shrugging my shoulders. "But Stella's always works?"

"Yes. I've only ever seen her fail at a spell once, and I don't think she really wanted to perform it anyway." Zack said, shifting a little guiltily. I decided not to press any farther.

"I'm ready." Stella said brightly, moving over to Zack and taking the book from his hands, kissing his cheek as she did. It was entirely too early to be so cheerful, I thought ruefully. Cassie took my hand in hers, looping my arm around her shoulders. I twirled a piece of ruby hair between my fingers as Stella began saying something, it sounded very musical.

"It's Gaelic, the old language." Cassie whispered the answer to my unasked question. "I'm a little rusty on it, I don't know exactly what she's saying. Something about spirits on quiet water."

"Spirits of good that may come on quiet water, I ask you to give us a star on a dark night." Zack corrected with another smirk. "Isn't she lovely?"

I turned to look at Stella and was taken by surprise. She was glowing, a bright warm light that pulsed from her skin. The glow was spreading along the chalk lines, and each candle burned a brighter white.

"It's amazing." I murmured. Cassie nodded in agreement. The flames shot across the air, connecting each candle, forming a circle of the bright white fire. Something resembling snow was swirling in the middle of the circle, faster and faster.

"Something's wrong." Stella mumbled, stepping back. I stepped back as well, pulling Cassie with me.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked, stepping protectively in front of her as he examined the swirling white mass.

"That's not supposed to happen when summoning a spirit." Stella mumbled. "Somebody just hijacked my spell. I don't know what's coming out of that." My eyes widened and I tensed, alert, waiting to phase just as soon as I knew what I was up against.

The white snow-material suddenly flung apart like a small explosion. I covered my eyes as the flames instantly went out and we were plunged into darkness. I blinked, momentarily blinded. Nothing smelled threatening, but there was a new scent now, floral, like wildflowers. My eyes adjusted, catching a glimpse of red in the middle of the chalk circle.

She didn't look like a vampire, which was a small comfort. She was substantial, I could hear her heart beating steadily. She also looked kind of nervous, biting her lip and toying with a piece of her hair.

Just like Cassie did when she was nervous.

I started, looking between my wife and this girl. The resemblance was…startling. They both looked around twenty years old, but the unknown girl was leaner, a little taller. Her hair was the same shade of blood ruby and their eyes both the same color of violet. Even their skin seemed to match like fine porcelain. Then she smiled, and suddenly I could see myself there too in her white teeth and dimples.

"Delilah." Cassie managed to whisper. The girl smiled wider.

"Hi." She said softly. "I'm sorry to scare you."

"Wait, wait, wait." Zack said, pointing to the girl in the circle. "This is your kid? The one you saw in the future?"

"I can kinda prove it." Delilah spoke up, cautiously stepping out of the circle. Zack tensed, but I had to be honest with myself, there was no threat in this girl, not from where I was sitting. She slowly took a chain off her neck, holding it in the moonlight. I could see it from where I stood. It was my wedding ring, clicking off of Cassie's. I reached out for her hand, feeling that ring slide around her slender finger.

"You guys let me borrow them." She explained, slipping the chain back around her neck.

"Why are you here?" Cassie asked.

"How in the world did you hijack my ritual like that?" Stella exploded, sounding almost excited. "I've never seen anything like that!"

"I'm here because you asked for help. I grew up hearing all about this. I didn't do that, by the way." She said pointedly to Stella. "Eva did."

"Eva…" Stella began, her eyes flicking up to the house, finding Echo's window, but Delilah's attention had been captured, worry flicking through her eyes, worry…and something that looked like fear. Her eyes scanned the woods and I followed her gaze, pulling Cassie close to my side.

There was something out there, something that caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up, even though I couldn't see it. It was a smell like a vampire, mixed in with something rotting, something like death…

"What is that?" I asked, feeling the urge to phase.

"Evil." Delilah whispered. Suddenly, Jezebel was by her side, pulling her back toward us.

"What are you _doing_ here?!" Jezebel whispered harshly, tossing her back into us. She caught herself and steadied like a dancer, glaring.

"Leaving breadcrumbs, among other things." Delilah quipped. "I can handle this. She won't touch me."

"I hope for everyone's sake you're right." Jezebel hissed angrily. Nothing more was said between them, Delilah lip jutted out in a determined pout. I could see something moving now.

It was faster than the normal vampire, maybe as fast as Leah. It stopped in front of us, on the other side of the circle. It was wrong…sick, twisted. This thing was the most beautiful creature on the face of the planet, likely, with the exception of her glowing burgundy eyes, but she emanated evil in a way even vampires didn't. She wasn't looking at any of us, only at Delilah and Jezebel, like someone who was intent on destroying someone until they were obliterated from the face of the universe.

I suddenly felt a very strong, unexplainable, protective urge toward that redheaded girl, my daughter from the future, an urge to put myself between this wicked thing and her, but that would mean leaving Cassie unprotected, and that tugged at a whole different part of me. Rocks and hard places.

"What are you…?" The thing asked, her eyes laughing. "So bright…I could feel you across the world."

"Leave her alone, Pandora." Jezebel murmured softly.

"Can't do it. She's dangerous." Pandora answered musically. "Dangerous to me, dangerous to you. You always love the wrong things, Belle."

"She's not even born yet." Cassie spoke up, her eyes flicking from me to the girl. Pandora paused, her dark hair blowing around her face as she examined Delilah. There was a few long, tense seconds, before Delilah winced in pain.

I was phased before I could really think about it, ready to rip and tear, but I couldn't move. I was held in place, unable to even growl.

"Good puppy." Pandora said, a hint of amusement in her voice. Delilah was rubbing the side of her head.

"From the future, another fire child." Pandora mused, her dark eyes glittering. "Brighter than her brother and sister, not bright as the one she lost." She waved her hand to Cassie. I struggled against the invisible bonds holding me.

"Why are you here, child?" Pandora mused. I suddenly realized, somehow, that Pandora was reading Delilah's mind, but not in the way Edward did.

"Oh, that explains it." Pandora said softly. "I stole your sister away from you, did I? She's mine now? Do you think coming back here could save her? Could stop the hesitation that caused you to reach for her too late?" Pandora asked now, humor lacing her voice.

"I suppose Jezebel was right, you were never a threat." She mused. She cast an appraising look at our home, as if she were looking right through our walls. Then she was gone, and I was able to move again. Delilah crumpled, Jezebel's hand held in hers.

"Good job, child." Jezebel soothed. "I underestimated you."

"Your sister?" Cassie repeated. "What happened to Echo?" There was a slight note of panic and hysteria in her voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Delilah answered dully, a flash of something else in her eyes. Cassie took a deep breath.

"She said she stole your sister." She said evenly. "Echo."

"Don't ask about Echo." Delilah whispered, agony tracing its way across her delicate features. "I can't tell you anything about her." Her small fist grasped the flimsy grass.

"Is she hurt, is she okay?" Cassie asked, undeterred. A small smile fluttered around Delilah's lips.

"She will be okay. I'm here now." She said softly. Her eyes flicked out across the sky.

"Let's get her inside." Jezebel whispered, looking over at Zack and Stella. They all helped Delilah to her feet; Zack practically carried her into the house over her protests that she was perfectly fine. I bumped Cassie's side with my muzzle.

"It'll be okay. It has to be." She whispered. I whimpered mournfully. Then a piercing howl shook the night. I winced, I hadn't even been aware of Seth in my head.

_Holy shit!_ Seth's voice echoed around my mind. _What the hell was that?!_


	19. Bonus Interlude: Fresh Graves

**(AN) Oh wow, the muses have struck! I'm totally ignoring Matteo to write this (he says he's okay with it, though.) This is from Delilah's POV, the last few minutes before Eva sent her to the past (our current present). Pretty dark future, huh? **

**Interlude: Fresh Graves, Walking Dead, and the Witness**

The personifications of darkness didn't come here. I imagined it was mostly due to Echo, to the raging guilt I imagined she felt. I imagined that somewhere deep inside her, she was still human, still my sister. I had to believe that, behind the glowing burgundy eyes and pale skin wrapped in layers of darkness, she loved us still.

It was almost no comfort.

My eyes stared blankly at the twin graves in front of me. I didn't need to read the inscription on the marble. I knew it by heart. Jacob Black, loving husband and devoted father on the first. Cassandra Black, long wife and devoted mother on the other. In between the graves was a statue of an angel with a chain looped around her neck. I reached out and took the chain, listening as the rings clanged together musically.

"I'll bring these back to you, mom, dad." I whispered. They didn't answer. It was okay, I'd spent the last five years with the silence. I looked around the rest of the graves, the names assaulting me like they were flashing neon Vegas signs. Quil and Claire Ateara, Zack and Stella Luwen, Sam and Emily Uley, Embry and Lucy, Kim and Jared, Colin and Dawn, Brady, Abby Uley and Daniel, Jared and Kim's oldest son. His younger brother, Aaron, was a little further away. My best friend, their younger sister Joy, was still alive, but it was dangerous for me to be near her.

I was too bright. My light illuminated the fog around me. It was noon, but it was as dark as twilight. The sun never shined anywhere anymore. The world was covered in darkness that was slowly killing every human. Even Emma Uley was barely able to get out of bed anymore. Most of the pack was immune to it, which meant they had to pick us off one by one. I looked over to the cross shaped markers to the left of the pack. Every single Cullen was there, although they had no graves. I swallowed back my tears.

They could find Eva, Blaze, and I anywhere. So we kept to ourselves, because they wouldn't reach out and hurt us if they didn't have us. Some part of Echo still loved us.

Still barely any comfort in that.

I hadn't seen Blaze in awhile. Leah and he couldn't stay away from each other, despite how dangerous it was for Leah. So he'd broken off from us, knowing that without my brighter light, they had a better chance. I couldn't blame him. I wondered if they were still alive, or if I should mark empty graves as well for them.

I left my family's graves, walking over to the freshest one and the figured huddled in front of it. She rocked back and forth, her small body shaking with sobs, dirty, tangled golden hair hanging limply down her back.

The grave in front of her read simply _Paul Roy_. She couldn't think of an inscription appropriate. Her hands ripped up the fresh dirt and she trembled. In her hands she held a pair of golden rings.

"Eva?" I asked softly. "We should do this, before they come looking…"

"Where did you leave him?" She asked dully, not turning to look at me. I felt a stab of pain in my own chest, looking over at the forest.

"At the old house." I whispered. I'd left my love alone, hidden. He couldn't be here for this, too dangerous. I wasn't willing to lose him. "He'll come looking soon though. I told him I was just coming to get you."

"I should have lied to keep him safe too." She whispered, brokenly, caressing the cool marble. I slipped to her side, looking down at her.

She looked more dead than alive. She hadn't been well, the darkness was killing her slowly the same way it was killing Emma, but this had been the last straw. She should be lying in a grave beside him. Her once pale, cream and honey skin was gaunt and bruised, drawn thin over her protruding cheek bones. Despite the fact she was wearing fifteen layers, I could see the bones from her hips. Her heart beat was irregular, like it was struggling as well.

"He would never have stayed away, Evie." I tried to comfort. Eva sobbed dryly once more.

"Paul." She whispered. "I'm so sorry. I…I don't belong here without you. I'll find a way to you soon. I can't live like this." She finished, laying the two golden wedding rings on the grave. I slowly helped her up, supporting most of her weight. It was easy, I was still strong.

"Here." She mumbled dully. I took off my bag and began pulling things from it. Eva slowly drew the circle, the stars. Each step she took seemed labored and her heart was racketing against her chest.

"You're not strong enough for this." I realized suddenly. "We'll wait till you're stronger."

"NO!" She shouted. She had to gasp for breath after that, coughing. Blood came from between her cracked, parched lips. She wiped it away. "Now. I don't care if I die. It doesn't matter anymore. This isn't how the world is supposed to be, Liley. We messed up! They should all be alive! My Paul…" She stopped, shaking with suppressed sobs again.

"Eva, I give a damn!" I shouted back. "You're one of the last family members I have left!"

"I'm already dead, Liley." She whispered now. "The sooner the better, but I'm dead nevertheless. Physically, mentally, spiritually, I'm already dead. This is my last attempt, my last chance to fix this."

Suddenly, I felt like I was thirteen years old again, desperately reaching out for my sister. But I'd waited too long, again.

"I'll fix it." I whispered, clutching the piece of paper in my pocket. "It'll be better, Evie."

"I love you, Delilah. Now stand in the circle." She ordered as she collapsed on the ground and opened up her mother's book. "I know where I can send you back to, the first time I ever saw my mom do a ritual. I'm going to intercept it." She explained. I nodded.

"Eva…" I started. She shook her head.

"Don't. It's not goodbye. Save us." She whispered. And then she started to sing in Gaelic.

And the last thing I saw before the light swallowed me was Eva collapsing on the ground, and my sister covered in darkness behind her, glaring at me as she screamed in rage.


	20. Chapter 16: Samson and Delilah

**(AN) Hmm…nice long chapter. The song featured is "You Could Be Happy" by Snow Patrol. It really suits Echo and Delilah well, along with a few other characters in this story :-) Sorry for the sad chapters, this should be the last one for a bit, then some action!**

**Chapter 16: Samson and Delilah**

She was laying on the chair with her legs dangling over the arm and her head resting against the back. I didn't know her well enough to say it was a habit of hers, but it felt right. Not only that, but she felt right here. Somehow, I couldn't explain it, but her energy meshed seamlessly with ours. It shouldn't surprise me, because I was also quite aware of the fact that she was mine. It was the most natural thing in the world to brush her hair back from her face as I walked past, the same way I would always push Echo's aside to see her eyes, my eyes, reflected like mirrors in Delilah's eyes.

I was going into the kitchen, to get something for her to drink. Eva was standing on the stairs in her pale blue nightgown, her blond angel's halo clinging to her pink cheeks.

"Eva, darling, what are you doing up?" I asked, scooping her off the steps. She was a featherweight in my arms. She yawned and smiled, looking up at me through the fringe of her lashes and reaching up to touch my cheek.

"I not sleepy." She whispered. I smiled back at her, twirling her around to Stella and Zack. Her eyes flicked over to Delilah curiously. I watched as Delilah's eyes met the little girl's. There was a spark there in the air, almost palatable. Shadows danced over her eyes. Something like guilt, sadness, pain, all drifted through her face.

"She's so small." She cooed, holding out a hand for Eva. A saint-like smile graced Eva's features. Zack took her from my arms with a smile, rocking her back and forth.

"Must be odd." Stella mused. "To be from the future, and see your older siblings younger than you remember them."

"A little, but I haven't seen Echo and Blaze yet. Are they sleeping?" Delilah asked, peering up the stairs.

"Yes." I said with a smile. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted as the door swung open. Jake stomped in, shaking rain out of his hair, followed by Seth who ducked in the door. I hadn't realized it had started to rain.

"So what's going on?" Zack asked, smoothing Eva's hair.

"Dude, that thing that witchy vampire did was horrible!" Seth moaned. "I was just running patrol, and I found this weird scent, then all of the sudden Jake was in my head, then neither of us could move!" He explained, shaking his head.

"Pandora." Delilah said almost like a curse word. Jezebel's head snapped up. Seth turned to the new voice, his forehead wrinkled. They stared at each other for a moment and Delilah's face broke into a warm smile.

"I'm Lilah." She said happily. "You haven't met me. Yet. But you're one of my best friends."

"Jesus. I thought Jake was just going mad." He muttered, but Delilah's sunny exterior seemed to have broken through whatever skepticism he had. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow, then turned back to Delilah with a grin.

"So, since we're best friends, you can tell me why you came back." He hypothesized. "And what's going on in the future."

"Cute, Seth." She remarked, swinging out of the chair. "I can't tell you anything, because there are some things I'd like to not change. I'm selfish, I had a few good things that I'd like to keep. If I was being completely honest and unselfish I'd tell you to just abort me." She said, running her hand through her hair. Jacob and I both turned to glare at her at precisely the same time. She just giggled.

"It's just that…everything bad that happens seems to be tied to me somehow, always. I have bad luck." She shrugged.

"I doubt your luck is that bad." Jacob murmured as he wrapped his arms around me.

"It is. If Eva could have come back instead of me, she probably would have." Delilah explained further.

"Why couldn't Evie come back?" Stella asked, tilting her head to the side.

"She couldn't leave Paul." Delilah answered, a little too quickly. She was a horrible liar. Stella accepted that answer, but Zack's forehead creased. He'd caught the lie too. His arms tightened around Eva.

"We might be able to help you out, Lilah." I said slowly. "But we need to know what's going to happen." I saw her waver. She was still young, I knew that, and probably used to relying on Eva and her siblings. I held out my hand to her.

"I'm only going to tell mom." She finally said after a minute of long stretching silence. "And you can't tell anyone else. Not even Dad. Especially not Dad." She qualified. Jacob huffed, but I nodded. She took my hand and dragged me outside, past the cars.

"Ummm…" She started, looking around. "Hold on." She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. I was jerked through space, ending up in an alley way. I raised an eyebrow.

"Port Angeles. Werewolves have really good hearing." She explained, strolling out of the alley. I looked around as the streetlights blazed against the darkness. There was a park bench nearby and she collapsed into it. I sat beside her.

"You know that we love you already, right?" I asked. "And nothing you could have done could ever change that."

She was quiet, looking out over the empty street. There was a bar, music was drifting out of it. I reached over and took her hand. She squeezed it and smiled slightly. "I love you too, mom. I miss you."

_You could be happy and I won't know_

_But you weren't happy the day I watched you go_

_And all the things that I wished I had not said_

_Are played in loops 'till it's madness in my head_

I listened to the music as I tried to digest that. "Miss me?" I questioned. "I'm not there anymore?"

She shook her pretty red hair, her eyes lowered. "No." She whispered. "You died right after dad did."

I took a deep breath, trying to picture a world where Jacob didn't exist. I couldn't picture me living in that world long at all. I squeezed her hand again, trying to think of the most important question to ask.

"How old were you?" I managed to get out, closing my eyes.

"Thirteen. Blaze was sixteen, Eva was sixteen, and Echo was eighteen." She rattled off their ages like she'd recited this story numerous times. Some hideous nightmare she couldn't stop. "It all started right after Echo turned eighteen."

"What happened?" I asked, desperate. She instantly went cold, her voice monotone, like she was trying to convince herself that it'd all happened to someone else, long ago.

"Echo got really mad at me." She started. "I…I can't tell you why, because you'll try to stop it from happening…and I think that part at least was meant to be. Not what happened next, though. She left."

_Is it too late to remind you how we were?_

_But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur_

_Most of what I remember makes me sure_

_I should have stopped you from walking out the door_

"Where did she go?" I asked. Delilah shook her head. "I still don't know. She spent some time with the Cullens. She met someone. Dad hated him. I thought…that she was making a big mistake with him. She just grew more and more distant from us, even Eva. Nobody realized why. That moment she'd struck out on her own…she'd been vulnerable in a way none of us were at home. Pandora had been filling her head with all this darkness and evil, till she didn't even know who she was anymore most of the time. Eva started to get sick. Then she dreamed that Pandora was coming for us."

"We didn't expect to survive. We decided it would be our last stand, let the cards fall as they may. We all were going to fight together…and Echo came back home to fight because she loved us." Her voice broke a little bit there, but she recovered quickly. "Pandora came with these…monsters. We didn't stand a chance, but it turns out she didn't want to destroy us. She wanted to take Echo. In the middle of that battlefield, right in front of me, she overtook Echo and me."

"None of that is your fault, Delilah." I said softly. She shook her head.

"She reached out for me. Right before the darkness completely claimed her, she reached for me. I was scared. I didn't reach back. By the time I could think again, Dad was rushing for us. Echo attacked him." She whispered the end, goose bumps crawling up her arms. I was stunned into silence. "You died a few weeks later. You couldn't bear to live anymore, all you did was stare out the window. You wouldn't even answer me."

_You could be happy, I hope you are_

_You made me happier than I'd been by far_

_Somehow everything I own smells of you_

_And for the tiniest moment it's all not true_

"They left then, Pandora and Echo. A few of the pack were already dead. The rest she began to pick off one by one. We realized that the only reason they could find the pack was because they could find us, Evie, Blaze, and me. I was the brightest, according to Pandora. I was the easiest to find. So we left the pack, we were too dangerous for them to be around."

"While this was going on…the world got colder and darker. The sun never shines anymore like it used to. The brightest time reminds me of twilight, before this all happened. The humans think its God punishing them or some atmospheric phenomenon. I can't bear to say different. And the humans keep on getting sick…even some of the pack did. Eva was sick. I don't know if it's the same thing, though, or if its because of the way she was connected to Echo. It was similar to what everyone else had…but she'd have some good days, and she lasted much longer than the rest."

"There were some people who couldn't bear to stay away from us. Leah and Blaze couldn't stay away from each other, they struck out on their own because I brought too much attention to them. I haven't heard from them in a really long time. Uncle Zack and Aunt Stella died right after you and dad, Pandora got to them. Eva and I stuck together, with Paul and my…my fiancé. Eva hated having me far away. We were trying to find a way to fix things. I think…I think I know how to do it, but we didn't want to do it then because we'd still have Echo…who killed our family, who would remember every minute of it. We didn't want her to suffer like that."

"We weren't going to send me back. We were going to send Eva, she'd do this better than I could. Echo…saw the plan in Eva's mind. So…Echo killed Paul and almost killed my fiancé. Eva…Eva was dying. Eva wasn't strong enough to come back anymore. I could barely get her to leave his grave. She was so sick…" Tears slipped down her flushed cheeks now, sparkling on her face. "Eva's dead." She finished. "Eva died to get me here, and I'm not sure if I can do this."

She burst into sobs now, and I reached out to take hold of her shuddering body. "How do you know…" I whispered numb. "How do you know it wasn't supposed to be like that?"

She looked up at me, shocked, then determined. "I believe. I believe in _us._ I'm willing to give up everything in my life to make this right, because I never stopped believing in Echo, Eva, and Blaze. They said they would never leave me, and I believe in them. I screwed up, but I can make it better. I'm still alive, and that means there's hope. As long as I'm alive, things can change." She finished, fire burning dim in her eyes.

"Then we'll change it." I promised, tucking her hair behind her ear. "We'll figure it out and we'll change it. Whatever you need help doing, we're here for you."

"We need to go get the box." She mumbled. I raised an eyebrow.

"Pandora's box?" I asked.

"Yeah, I know where it is. Oh, and you wanted advice on the Volturri?" She asked. I blinked, I'd forgotten all about it.

"You don't have to worry about it. You kicked ass." She mumbled. I laughed softly and took her hand.

"Let's go get the box."

"Yeah mom." She smiled. "Let's go."

_Do the things that you always wanted to_

_Without me there to hold you back, don't think, just do_

_More than anything I want to see you, girl_

_Take a glorious bite out of the whole world_


	21. Chapter 17: Christian His Singer

**(AN) Who's the girl on the CD? I've dropped some hints…. By the way, next chapter is an interlude. It'll probably be up tomorrow sometimeish. The song is "Set Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol and Martha Wainwright. **

**Chapter 17: Christian (His Singer)**

Cassie and Delilah came back late that night. I didn't ask Cassie where they'd gone. There was sadness in her eyes that made me wary. Delilah crashed on the couch in a pair of Cassie's pajamas. She was still there in the morning when we left for work and school.

"Mama, mama." Echo's hair was still askew and she was in her pajamas. She latched onto Cassie's leg as she was trying to feed Blaze some cereal. "There's a girl on the couch."

"That's our friend, Delilah. She'll be staying with us for a little while." Cassie lied smoothly. "Don't wake her up, darling, she'll be up when we get home." Echo's face slipped into a pout. I chuckled.

"Come here, Echo. Do you want the lucky charms cereal?" I asked, taking her hand and leading her over to the counter. I swung her up on the granite and popped some toast into the toaster.

"Mama says we only have a half a day of school Friday." Echo swung her legs as I pulled the cereal from the cupboard and poured it into her favorite bowl, the one with the music notes all around it.

"That's right." I tried not to smirk, knowing where this was going.

"Well, can I go to work with you after school? Pretty please daddy?" She begged, her eyes wide and earnest. I grinned, musing her messy hair and putting the bowl on her lap.

"Of course you can." I replied. "Embry and Quil will be happy to have you. I'll pick you and Blaze up at school. Mommy is going to have to work the rest of that day."

I saw Cassie stick out her tongue and wrinkle her nose. "Mommy has to go to a meeting. Bleck!" She shook out her long hair and Blaze laughed, delighted. I heard footsteps in the living room, light and quick.

"Stella's coming." I told Cassie, stealing a bite of Echo's cereal. She wrinkled her nose, holding the bowl closer to her.

"Wrong." Delilah's soft voice drifted from the door, rough with sleep. I looked up, surprised.

"You're losing your touch, Jake." Cassie giggled.

"The sitting on the counter thing is going to become a habit and drive mom crazy." Delilah waved to the counter off handedly as she passed by. Echo put her bowl on the counter and watched curiously as Delilah opened the fridge. She pulled out a pitcher of water and opened the exact cupboard where the glasses were.

"My name's Echo." Echo said, squirming away from me and smiling happily at Delilah.

"Hi Echo." Delilah smiled. "I'm Delilah. Your hair is a mess." She teased. My mouth tightened, but Echo just giggled.

"So's yours!" Echo pointed. "You look like my momma!"

"You look like my dad, kiddo." Delilah said, taking a sip of water. Echo frowned, kicking her heel against the cupboard.

"I look like _my_ dad." She replied petulantly. Delilah smiled.

"Yeah." She agreed. "You do."

"Echo, it's time to get dressed." Cassie interrupted. I lifted her off the counter and sat her back on the floor. Cassie stood, but Delilah waved her away.

"Mind if I help you pick out your outfit Coco?" Delilah asked, dropping to Echo's level. Echo beamed and began chattering about her clothes, taking Delilah's hand and pulling her toward the stairs. I waited until I could hear their footsteps above us before I looked over to Cassie.

"She's your daughter through and through." I commented, kissing Cassie's forehead and ruffling Blaze's hair.

"What makes you say so?" She asked, a small smile playing across her lips.

"You both drive me nuts." I snorted, putting the bowl in the sink. "It feels rotten not being able to help at all."

"You do help." Cassie whispered, standing on tiptoe to kiss my cheek. I sighed, resigned. The rest of the morning passed as normal. Cassie and the kids left, Stella and Zack got up right after their car pulled out. I was just leaving myself when I ran into Delilah in the front yard. She was swinging on the tire swing I'd put in for Echo, dressed in clothes I recognized as Cassie's.

"Do you think Embry and Quil would mind you being late to work today?" She asked, twirling around and hanging upside down. I shrugged.

"Probably not, what's up?" I asked, trotting over to the swing. She righted herself and looked up at me with an impish grin.

"I need to find someone. I know roughly where he's going to be." She explained. "Oh, he's a vampire."

"Nice." I responded. "Do I get to kick his ass?"

"Nope, you can't kick his ass." She grinned again. "He's kinda important."

"Damn bloodsuckers." I muttered. "Where are we going?"

"Vegas." She offered her hand. I took it hesitantly, feeling the almost familiar tug as we moved from my home to the crowded, smelly streets of a city. A few people looked at us oddly as we seemingly just appeared at the opening of an alley.

"Whoops. Meant to get us further back there. Things change." She shrugged delicately and smiled, leading me out of the alley. We ducked along streets expertly, people moved out of our way. I thought, humorlessly, that I probably looked very foreign and dangerous to these people.

"This is it, I think." She pulled a paper out of her pocket and looked at it, before looking up at the impressive looking building in front us up. I followed her gaze and read the bright sign.

"The Orleans?" I asked. She nodded.

"This vampire is very good at gambling. He uses the money to buy blood." She explained.

"Buy blood?" I asked.

"Yeah, he feels bad killing humans, so he either steals or buys donated blood. His name is Christian."

"How do you know him?" I asked as she dug in her pockets.

"He lived with the Cullens for a little bit. He loves music. He loves singers best."

"And why do you need to see him?"

"…His power is pretty helpful. He's lucky. The people around him get some of that luck. I know a girl who could use some of that luck." She said quietly. I put an arm companionably around her shoulders. She was quiet for a moment.

"There's love at first sight. You're pretty familiar with that, huh?" She asked with a small giggle. "Well…Christian fell in love the first time he heard a girl singing. I think he could have helped her out…but they didn't have enough time together. I think…that if I gave them enough time…" She trailed off.

"Sounds like a pretty unlucky girl to me. Having a vampire in love with you isn't always the best thing." I added. She smiled.

"True." She offered me the piece of paper. "Can you smell it?"

I held the paper up to my face and examined it. There were only two things written on it, the name Christian and the name of the hotel in writing that reminded me of Broadway advertising. I took a deep breath and felt the smell burn the back of my throat. There was the sick sweet smell of a vampire…different because there was a hint of nutmeg in it.

"I think I got it." I mumbled as I passed it back to her. We entered the hotel lobby and I took a deep breath. The scent was here, leading right to the elevator. Delilah followed me as I walked right to it. Once in the elevator I was stifled by the smell.

"I can't tell what floor he went to." I said, rubbing my temples. Lilah wrinkled her nose and pressed the button for the top floor.

"The more expensive rooms are on the top. Christian never goes for the cheap stuff." She said, running her hands through her hair. She was correct, the smell carried out here and down the hallway to a large fancy door. I glared at the lock, a card reader, but Delilah already had it covered. She pulled a key from her pocket and slid it through the lock.

"Where did you…?" I began. She smirked.

"I pick pocketed from one of the cleaning ladies in the lobby. I'll put it back." She said sweetly as she swung the door open. The room, although large and very nice looking, was completely dark and foreboding. The window curtains were all closed. Delilah sighed and went over to whip them open, throwing bright sunlight everywhere.

"I said no housekeeping!" A voice boomed from a room over. A TV shut off.

"We're not house keeping, Lucky." Delilah responded as she waltzed over to the CD player and pulled a CD out of her pocket. In the shadow of the bedroom doorway, the bloodsucker appeared, his eyes shaded by sunglasses. He looked at the two of us and shifted into a crouch.

"We're not here to fight." Delilah soothed as she adjusted the settings on the CD player. "We're friends. Well, not yet."

"I don't have any friends." The leech threatened, stepping toward Lilah. I moved in front of her, shielding her from him.

"You will. I know a lot about you, Christian. I know that you were born on March 17, 1935. You lost your dad in the war, you were the oldest of three kids. You left home when you were seventeen, met some pretty blonde who turned out to be a vampire, happens to the best of us. She liked you, wanted to make you her mate, but you'd discovered you really didn't like blondes. You didn't like killing, so you decided donated blood was a good compromise." She rattled off. Christian looked shocked.

"How do you…?" He began, stepping forward again.

"I'm from the future. I'm a witch. Kinda." She qualified. "I'm kind of fond of you."

"Unbelievable. Ridiculous." Christian sputtered. "What are you doing to my stereo?"

Delilah held up one single finger. Haunting, sad, music was pouring from the speakers. After a few seconds, a female voice joined the music.

_I find the map and draw a straight line_

_Over rivers, farms, and state lines_

_The distance from 'A' to where you'd be_

_It's only finger-lengths that I see_

_I touch the place where I'd find your face_

_My finger in creases of distant dark places _

I noticed that I was not the only one entranced by the voice on the CD. Christian's eyes drifted closed as he listened to the ghostly melancholy sounds. It sounded familiar somehow, like someone I used to know.

"Beautiful." Christian said softly. I had to agree with him.

_I'm miles from where you are,_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_And I, I pray that something picks me up_

_And sets me down in your warm arms_

The song left off, the heartbreaking voice trailing off into silence. Christian's eyes snapped up, searching Delilah's face. He slipped off the glasses, throwing them at the table, and looked at us with crimson eyes.

"Who is that?" He asked reverently. Delilah smiled.

"I can't tell you right now. She can't sing right now anyway." She said smoothly, stepping around me. "I can tell you how to meet her in about thirteen years. That's barely any time for you, right?" She questioned.

"Thirteen years?" He repeated, looking longingly at the stereo. I glared evenly at him.

"There's a coven, the Cullens. They'll be in Albany, New York, in thirteen years. You'll be able to find them. They don't eat people either." She said softly. "I'll see you then."

"That's not you, is it?" He asked almost hopefully. I glared again.

"Nope, and I've got a boyfriend already." She smiled, taking my hand again. Then we were gone.

"I don't like him." I said as I looked back up our house.

"Yeah, well, that's not surprising." Delilah murmured as she brushed herself off.

"You have a boyfriend?" I pried, looking at her. "You're a little young, don't you think."

"Technically, I have a fiancé." She said with a smirk. "Don't worry, he's a great guy. Very noble and annoying. You approve."

I looked up, ignoring that last comment, as tires squealed against the pavement. The yellow Porsche turned into our driveway and the pixie vampire jumped out.

"Jacob!" She cried shrilly. "They're coming! The Volturri are coming!"


	22. Chapter 18: The Final Word Was Love

**(AN) Alright, this was supposed to be an interlude. However, I got a little bit carried away so it's actually a chapter (It's about 1600 words, give or take. My chapters are usually around 2000 words). It's from Pandora's point of view, which I knew everyone was kind of anxious to see. The poems are Dylan Thomas and Matthew Arnold. Some heavy foreshadowing here, hope you guys don't gut me alive for this one. I felt like it really needed to be established that Jezebel and Pandora really do love each other quite a lot, but they're forever on the wrong sides. Romeo and Juliet-esque. Jezebel's request is quite important. Have fun! Oh, and, for Beth Javensen's birthday, I wrote her a cute fluffy one shot complete with some upcoming quotes in the story. Go check it out! ;-) **

**Chapter 18: The Final Word Was Love**

I saw it in her memories. The future I wanted, the world covered in inky darkness. My Jezebel must have surely turned to my side. We would change the world, remake it, and give ourselves a second chance. I had the power.

There was one small problem. The damned Beltane children who lived every step in bright sunlight. Those children were surrounded by all the good things in the world and they would fight to the end to save the dying light.

_Do not go gentle into that good night._

_Rage, rage against the dying of the light._

I picked one of the blood red roses and twined it into my dark hair. It was the same crimson color as my eyes, covered now by dark sunglasses. I saw a man glance at me from the corner of my eye. It was dark out, he wondered why I was wearing the glasses and he felt a strong desire for me and a strong fear. I laughed.

The women that looked at me were envious of my diamond beauty. Sometimes I wanted to shake them, to tell them to look truly into themselves and see that they were nothing more than envying a corpse. My soul was flitting somewhere around the west coast.

Sometimes I did tell them that. Then I killed them, saved them from their pitiful lives without meaning or purpose. She didn't approve of that. But she would, for the first time, I felt hope.

Only one thing unsettled me. Delilah. Her name was a curse to me. Its old Hebrew meaning haunted me. She was one who weakened or uprooted. Did she weaken her family and eventually wreck them apart? Or was she to uproot me? The rose I was holding in my hand was crushed into fine dust.

This slip of a girl, barely old enough to love, would attempt to wreck all of my plans. If I was smart, I would take out the whole family now. But I coveted; I coveted that girl child, the one with the dark hair and copper skin, who was on my side in the future. I could feel her strength pulsing. She wasn't as bright as her brother and sister, but she was stronger by far. She could be persuaded and she could be taken from her bright sunny existence. It would be easy.

Delilah. I cursed again. It had been easy until this wretched strumpet made her way into my plans. Well, I suppose, she hadn't technically made her way into my plans yet. She wasn't born yet.

The idea lit up in my mind like a firework going off. She wasn't born yet, I could kill her mother and save myself the trouble. If anything, it would only make Echo more vulnerable as she grew older. Possibilities whirled around my head and I smirked.

The Volturi didn't like wolves very much. I wonder if they would consider destroying the whole town for me, I was sure the witch would fight. All they had to do was kill her. It shouldn't be too difficult. I closed my eyes and suddenly I was at the dark circular tower in Voltera. There was no one there, the seats were empty. I looked up, at the dark ceiling. I could someone coming through the hallways.

"Caius." I called. The door to the tower burst open. Caius stood in the doorway, flanked by Marcus and Aro. They looked at me with something like awe, but it barely registered in my mind.

"Your highness." Caius said reverently. I smiled at him.

"Mistress Pandora…" Aro started, almost as if he wasn't quite sure what to make of me. I raised an eyebrow and dug deep into his mind. He winced, but I didn't care. Pathetic, puny man. His ambition would be his downfall, the thing that caused him to destroy everything. He was very skeptical of me. I smirked.

"I am the beginning, Aro." I whispered. "I am the beginning, the end, the alpha and omega. And I believe that there's something you'd like to do for me. Something about wolves…"

So I told them everything. I told them about the wolves, the witches, and those pathetic excuses for vampires. They listened raptly. I could see their minds working. There was a lust for power in their minds, I knew that too well. It disgusted me. What use was power without love? Power should be used to protect those you loved, to make the world better.

"I have only one request, besides that you do your job." I finally finished, running my fingers over the old tapestries.

"Yes, mistress?" Caius asked.

"There's a witch, Jezebel. She is not to be harmed under any circumstances unless you wish to die as well." I promised. Caius nodded curtly. I felt a pulling, somewhere far away. My eyes lifted toward it, like gravity shifting.

"I must go." I straightened and stood tall, winking at Caius before disappearing into the shadow, following the pull. She was at one of my many houses, the one facing the Mediterranean Sea. My Jezebel was on the bedroom balcony. Something was very different about her. I tilted my head to the side as I came up behind her. She turned to me, her neon purple eyes boring into my red ones. I almost gasped at her beauty. Someone had combed out her long ringlet curls and they fell glamorously down her back to her thighs. Her skin was clean, free of dirt and soot, and she was wearing a glamorous black gown, red pigment smudged on her lips.

"Oh…" I murmured softly, tilting my head to the side. I hadn't seen her so beautiful in thousands of years. A dark tear fell down her cheek. I reached out to brush it away, feeling a swell of emotion almost unfamiliar. This was my love, my angel, my Jezebel.

"Belle…" I whispered, wrapping my arms around her waist. She didn't object, which almost made me giddy. I stood behind her and we looked out on the rolling sea, watching it roar and swell.

"Sophocles long ago heard it on the Aegean, and it brought into his mind the turbid ebb and flow of human misery." Jezebel whispered. I stroked her hair softly.

"Ah, love, let us be true to one another! for the world, which seems to lie before us like a land of dreams, so various, so beautiful, so new, hath really neither joy, nor love…" I finished, trailing off at the end.

"Nor light," She said darkly, another tear falling. "Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain; and we are here as on a darkling plain swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, where ignorant armies clash by night." She finished, turning towards me. Her soft hands took my face between them and she stood on tiptoe to kiss me.

"I'm scared." She whispered. I looked down at her.

"Why? I would never let anything happen to you, my Belle." I soothed, resting my forehead on hers.

"Things have been set in motion that cannot be stopped." She whispered. "It's too late for us."

"Don't, Belle. It's not too late. It's never too late." I replied, trailing my fingers down her face.

"I love you, Dorie." Jezebel said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Stay with me." I begged, holding her tighter. "Help me fix the world, stay with me."

"I can't see the future anymore." She whispered softly. I froze, pulling away from her and looking into her eyes. There was no lie there.

"I can't see…what happens in the next year. I can only see the next weeks." She continued. I gripped her tightly. What could that mean? That power had never failed like that ever before.

"It's going to be okay, Belle. I promise…"

"That's what you always say!" She exploded, her dark brown hair flying around in the sudden wind. "You always say it's going to be okay, that you're going to take care of everything, and I have to pick up the pieces!" She pushed away from me and ran off into the mansion, leaving me on the balcony. I could hear her heart beating from somewhere in the spacious rooms.

Her heartbeat was mine, every beat served to remind me that there was some point in this world, that as long as my Belle was alive, that things could always get better. Her heart beat loudly.

She couldn't go to the future. What did that mean? Did that mean that she didn't exist in that future? My un-beating heart felt as if though it was being torn apart at that thought. I followed her heart into the house, through the hallways, and to the bed where she lay. Her breathing was even, her heart beat strong and clear. I dropped to the bed beside her and laid my head on her stomach. She stroked my hair softly.

"I love you Jezebel." I whispered. She smiled sadly. "I do. I always will. You complete me. I'll do anything for you."

She looked at me then, her eyes warm and soft. "Save me from the darkness. At the end, when there's no hope left, save me from it."

"You're not going to die, Belle." I responded firmly. She laughed bitterly.

"No. I am. It's inevitable. It's going to take my life to make this better."

"I…"

"Hush." She ordered, our lips meeting again, like two pieces of a puzzle coming together. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, our bodies melding together. She was so warm…

"You were always the only one who had my love." He whispered as we broke away. Then she was gone and I was left holding air.

He had been my first kiss, my first reason to feel anything. She was the last reason for the world to exist, the last thing I would ever love. I didn't think that she would really die, I couldn't a picture a world where she didn't exist. We were invincible, weren't we?

The final word she ever said to me was love.


	23. Chapter 19: Love Worth Dying For

**(AN) More AN at the bottom. Read my one shot. Peace and Love. 3**

**Chapter 19: Love Worth Dying For**

I was kneeling between two seven year olds, showing them the proper way to mold their clay dinosaurs. The two boys laughed as I formed the head, mimicking my actions. I smiled as they chattered happily, glancing around my classroom. Everyone seemed to be content, working diligently. I stood up and made my way over to Blaze, at the table with Emily's son Isaac. Emily had a job as a secretary in the school, but I often took Isaac off her hands while she was working. There was more space for him in the art room, not to mention Blaze and Isaac were practically inseparable. I grinned as they tossed clay at each other. I was going to have to make sure that was cleaned up before I left for the day.

"Mrs. Black." A girl called, pointing at the door. Emily waved at me from the other side. I gestured her to come in. All the kids peeked up with smiles as she flowed through the room. Emily was known as the nicest secretary the school had ever had.

"Cassie." She said softly as she approached our table. Isaac looked up immediately, displaying the lopsided bowl he'd made to his mother. Emily laughed, leaning down to kiss his forehead before she turned to look at me again. "Jake's on the phone for you. He said it was important. I'll watch your class."

Worry flashed through Emily's eyes, it was mimicked in my own. Important stuff usually equaled pack stuff, and that was our family. I guess it would seem to outsiders that the imprints, the girls, were nothing more than pretty decorations to come home to. What was harder to explain was that we were important. The girls gave the guys something to fight for, encouragement, and a listening ear that would only sympathize. They didn't have to tell us the truth, although they usually did. We were their sanctuaries. To us… the wolves were our protectors, undoubtedly, but they were also our true soul mates. They needed us, and we needed them. Emily had been looking at old stories, old legends of the tribe. The effects of a broken imprint were not pretty for either party. The remaining half would simply give up the will to live. Apparently, no matter how much I disliked it, I had given up on life in the future and slowly faded away.

_"You couldn't bear to live anymore. All you did was stare out the window. You wouldn't even answer me."_ That's what Delilah had said. The thought of that future hurt, like a knife sawing my heart out of my chest. That's why, when I finally got to the office and picked up the phone, my voice sounded somewhat hoarse and panicked.

"Jake…" I began. Of course, he picked up on my tone immediately.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I took a deep breath.

"Yeah, sorry, just worrying about you. Are you alright?" I cut him off quickly, trying to make my voice sound lighter. He paused. That's when I knew it was something bad.

"They're coming. Soon." He said softly. I froze, my knuckles turning white as my hand gripped the desk. "Cassie." He murmured soothingly. "It's going to be okay."

"Liar." I whispered, looking around the office. Nobody was looking at me, yet.

"Pull Echo out of school and come home, tell them you need a few days for a family emergency or something. We'll figure this out." He said softly.

"Yeah, of course." I mumbled. "What's going on now?"

"We're meeting in a meadow near the Cullen's." Jacob said. "It's right off the highway."

"I'll meet you guys there." I said softly. I hung up the phone and quickly raced back to my room. Emily looked up as the door opened. I don't know what she saw in my face because I couldn't bear to look up at her. I grabbed my purse and my jacket.

"Cassie. Cassie." She whispered, placing her hands on my arms. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"The Volturi are coming, Em." I whispered, half a moan of anguish. "They're coming soon. I have to go, they're meeting the Cullens… I have to get Echo and Blaze…"

"I'll take care of Echo and Blaze." Emily interrupted strongly. Her eyes were fierce, like a mother bear. "You go. We'll survive this, Cassie." I nodded, looking over at Blaze as he played with Isaac. He looked up at me and grinned, his pudgy hands waving at me. I tried to smile at him as I left, although I'm sure I barely did a decent job. I walked out into the spring day. It was windy, the clouds over head looked like a thunderstorm was brewing. I stepped out into the parking lot and pulled my jacket a little closer. I could hear children laughing to the left. I turned automatically to watch the kids play. It was my Echo's class, I could see Tyler Call and Jared's son Daniel. They were flanking Echo, standing away from the other kids.

It was odd, the stillness of the three of them. I paused to watch. Their eyes were looking into the forest, Tyler and Daniel both were almost in protective stances in front of my Echo. I turned to walk to them, the wind blowing the hair around my face.

"Hey kids." I called cheerfully. They turned to look at me. Echo smiled, but Tyler and Daniel didn't smile. They just looked at me.

"Something smells funny, Re…I mean, Mrs. Black." Tyler said softly. Daniel nodded, gesturing out to the woods.

"It smells like the white stuff my mom uses on laundry. Sick smelling. Echo can't smell it though." Daniel added on, looking exasperated at Echo. I looked out into the woods.

"But I can feel it, mom." Echo insisted, pointing out to the woods. "It feels like Aunt Bella, Uncle Edward, and the Cullens, but different."

My blood froze as I looked out into the woods, searching for something that was hard to find. Sure enough, it was there, a lack of feeling, a black hole in the universe. And more than one of them. It hit me like a ton of bricks. They were coming after the pack, of course, but they also somehow must have known about me. I was dangerous, especially put together with a bunch of werewolves. They knew enough about me to know where I worked, that I would be mostly unprotected her.

"I'll take care of it." I said softly. "Echo, darling, you're going home with Emily today. I have to go and see Aunt Bella." I lied smoothly, gently playing with her hair. Thunder boomed and the other teacher began gathering the kids. I inclined my head and they ran off toward their class. Echo smiled at me before she left, I felt my stomach constrict as I quickly fished into my purse.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Beltane." A melodic voice drifted from the forest. "If you make that phone call, we'll have to kill all those children…same thing if you run. We could take out the entire school…make it look like a bomb…those things happen to schools sometimes. Tragic."

"Bastards." I replied as thunder cracked above again with a flash of lighting. I dropped my purse. I wasn't completely without communication. I reached out to the back of my mind and mentally shook Bella's head as hard as I could.

She was far away, but moving fast. In a car somewhere. I tried hard to transmit my feelings, my mental pictures to her. I continued to think as I walked straight into the woods. _Bella, Bella, Bella…_I chanted inwardly.

"Beltane…" The musical voice called from in front of me as they melted out of the shadows. I was outnumbered, badly, there was at least a dozen.

"I prefer Cassandra." I scoffed. I could feel reaction from Bella now, a slow kind of seeping panic. I felt oddly cool. Facing death, one more time, didn't seem so bad anymore. Could I overcome it? Would it matter if I did? Always one more fight…

"_You'll fight. You'll fight for them."_ Is what Jezebel had predicted. Had she been right? I saw the lake, the snow, and the strong children flying past. I saw Delilah, reclining in the armchair.

Echo, covered in darkness.

Was the future really worth it? Was living worth it? To die, my oldest daughter gone, my youngest children alone to fight, in a world where Jake's light no longer brightened my life?

Jacob. What would happen when my light went out? Would he suffer, would he be in agony? Suddenly, my heart began to race. My children might be better off without me, without the constant tumult I seemed to bring, but Jacob loved me far too much. He would never be able to move on.

The vampires stared at me, waiting for me to make the first move, or perhaps to concede the odds and go quietly. No, I decided, there would be no great sacrifice tonight. I would not sever my life, and dissolve Jacob and Delilah's as well.

"Very entertaining show." I murmured. "I guess you think it's over now?"

"You can fight. It won't help." The child vampire, a beautiful boyish looking girl, stepped forward. "But we'll take it easy on you. Just tell us some things about your pack…the witches…the Cullens…"

"No." I answered, loyalty swelling in my heart. "Guess we fight."

"Just bow out gracefully." The girl vampire tried to persuade. Her face tightened, as if she was trying to do something to me. Then it changed to rage. "Witch. Edward's tramp was a witch as well. That's why…"

I threw out my arm and each vampire flew backwards. "My sister, Bella." I said casually. "I wouldn't call her that again."

I called on that spark again. It flew readily, exploding in my veins like fireworks, lighting up my skin as if someone had thrown lighter fluid all over me. It fell from me and onto the ground, blew around me, a living thing, an angry living thing. One vampire reached out for me, a large male. His hand touched my skin for only a fraction of a second before he withdrew with a wounded snarl. The fire didn't stop climbing up his skin. The vampires froze, watching as it grew and expanded, and he wouldn't stop screaming.

He eventually fell, the fire spreading out from him. The other vampires backed away and I stepped forward, the flames leaping in response to my heart. "Anyone else wanna go?" I asked with a smile.

"You'll tire." A vampire to my side predicted. That was true, I would tire eventually, but I was buying myself very valuable time. Enough time for Echo to tell Emily what had been in the woods, enough time for Jacob to worry, enough time for Bella to race towards me, closer every second.

All I had to do was hold my own for an hour or two, and see how many of these monsters I could take down in the mean time. I smirked, stepping closer to them. Then I began to fight, in earnest, with a passion I hadn't had in hours. They were skilled fighters, but I could take some of them. Thank god. The day darkened more, and the sky broke open, like angels were crying.

Roughly an hour and a half later…

Fire licked along my pale arms, over my cold skin, melding seamlessly into blood red hair. It flickered, burning all who came too close. They danced around me, keeping their distance, blood red eyes waiting for the slightest hint of weakness, weakness that I'm sure was starting to show. They were more skilled than I had given them credit for, it felt like I had been fighting for much longer than I had, and the fire was starting to fade. At least I'd taken out a few of them, roughly half.

So I ran. I ran through the trees, blinking as I felt them approach behind me, the flames dancing vibrantly in the wind. At least they were all following, I had given the town some time to hide and run. Of course, they didn't want the town, but what they wanted only I knew, and I would not give it to them.

I could go no further as I found myself at the top of La Push's cliffs. The flames finally went out, and I stood like a snuffed candle, tired and cold. They surrounded me in a half moon shape, furious and seething. The little girl at the front stepped forward, her crimson eyes burning with hatred.

"Where are they? You'll protect them when they left you here to die? You insolent waste of life." She spat, stepping forward. I took a step back, knowing that I was now an inch from the cliff's edge.

"Fuck you." I replied in the most menacing voice I could manage. She laughed bitterly. That's when I heard a wolf howl in the distance. My heart soared. They were still too far away to save me, but my friends, my family would be safe. My thoughts swirled around Jacob, my Jacob. I wished I had gotten to say goodbye. My throat constricted, tears burned my eyes. At least he would have our children, and maybe…maybe he would wait till I came back again.

"They won't save you, witch." The girl threatened. "This is your last chance."

I snorted. "Like you weren't going to kill me anyway." The girl's face lit up in creepily childish delight.

"I know, but this way we get to make it painful." She answered in her sing song voice. I suddenly remembered her name. Jane, the evil little girl vampire. I was very aware of the waves crashing around below me in the storm. I'd jumped off these cliffs before, the low one with the other girls in La Push, the tallest one where I stood now I'd only jumped off once, with Jacob holding me. It was the same one Bella had thrown herself off of nearly eleven years ago. As I thought about it, I decided drowning wasn't really a bad way to go, it was kind of peaceful, painless.

"Bite me." I smirked, stepping off the ledge. I heard Jane screech in childish rage as I fell away from the world, the water rising to meet me. I splashed into it with an impact that took my breath away as my body was buffeted by the waves, forced downwards into the deep water, thrown against the rocks.

**(AN) There are going to be a couple dozen questions for this one, so I'm going to try to answer them in advance.**

**How come Alice didn't see this?: Alice usually can't see anything that happens in La Push, at least in my universe. It's because, not only are there active werewolves, but as seen in Breaking Dawn, there are a great deal of other people with the potential to be werewolves. They never turned in my story because the vampires left, but the potential is always there, and it grows greater with every generation. Alice is used to Cassie intermittently disappearing from her visions, she never worries because she always assumes Cassie is with a wolf. If Cassie disappears because, let's say, she's going to die, Alice would just assume she disappeared for the usual reasons. **

**Also, Alice watches for direct orders from Aro, he's most in charge. The order to take the greatest offensive weapon out first came from Caius. They only sent a dozen vampires because they figured that was enough to take out one witch, the primary strike (kinda like bombing then sending in the foot troops.) **

**The wolves don't know because some time passed before Jake called Cassie (he called her last) The wolves were already out of La Push.**

**Yes, Daniel and Tyler will become werewolves. They're two of Echo's best friends when she grows up.**

**Yes, that last section is the prologue. It's been edited a little bit. Yes, there is more to the prologue. The rest of it will be from Bella's POV.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**3 Mandi**


	24. Chapter 20: Autumn's Child

**(AN) So, I got my tongue pierced, which means that I can't kiss Mateo. His loss is your pleasure, cause now all I can do is write :-p I also uploaded some icons in the photobucket album. Oh! And vote in my new poll on my profile! :-)**

**Chapter 20: Autumn's Child**

"_Autumn's child got a loophole round her finger_

_Halo rings her head_

_Cornhusk hair makes me linger_

_A cat's stare meets my dare."_

_Autumn's Child by The Captain Beefheart_

"Haha!" I teased as I swung on a high tree branch. Edward was beneath me, smiling as I leaped from branch to branch. I made a particularly wide leap from one tree to the ground, twisting in the air before landing lightly before Edward and swinging my arms around his neck. He chuckled, twirling me around.

"In a good mood?" He asked with a kiss as I wiggled away and raced around the trees. I turned to smile at him, pausing between the trees. I unwrapped my shield from my mind and allowed him to glance at my mind. It was still uncomfortable for me, it felt like being naked. I drudged up the memories of Cassie, both before I was changed and after, noting the happiness that seemed to radiate from her. I flipped through my memories of Echo and Blaze. Edward grinned my favorite crooked grin and kissed my forehead.

"I'm glad they're happy too." He responded, squeezing my hand. I was once again captivated by him as he leaned so close. I brought my lips to his and felt the passionate jolt that almost restarted my long dead heart. He pulled away with another laugh.

"Are you ready to go home?" He asked softly, his lips at my ear.

"I don't know…" I teased again. "I might have room for one more angry grizzly…"

"Insatiable, you are." Edward teased, his breath tingling on my ear.

"A bit." I replied, running my fingers over his neck. "But not for grizzly."

He laughed louder that time, taking my hand as we ran back through the forest, the trees whipping past us. His honey eyes flashed in the light as we leaped into the new flashy sports car he'd just bought. I slipped into the passenger seat, kissing him as he got into the driver's side.

"I love you, Bella." He said softly, our fingers intertwining as he drove, out of the gravel parking lot in the middle of the national park, shooting out into the hallway. I rested my head on his shoulder, just to be closer to him. The miles flew past, but I was lost in my own little world.

_I wouldn't do that if I were you, Beltane._ The voice rang threateningly around me. My head snapped up immediately as I searched around, instantly alert for danger, looking at each individual leaf on each tree, searching the cars, the roads, throwing my blanket of protection around Edward.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, tensing as well. There was danger, I could feel it. I knew that voice, through cloudy human memories, I would always know that voice.

"Jane." I said softly. Edward growled low, his eyes flicking everywhere at once as well.

"Where? Where is she?" He asked, his voice somewhat desperate. "I can't hear her anywhere."

The images were fuzzy, but I could feel them in the back of my head. A purse on the ground, dark haired children funneling back into the school. Desperation, a smooth, haunting, venomous voice, red hair flicking in front of my eyes.

"Oh my god." I murmured. "She's with Cassie." The thoughts were racing now. Dread crept up my spine. There was about a dozen of them, surrounding my sister. I turned to look at Edward, horrified.

"They sent a squad to execute Cassie." I explained slowly, almost detached. "Jane…Felix, Demetri, a few others… She's alone, right outside the school. Oh my god, Edward."

"It's going to be okay. Alice is there. Where's your phone?" Edward asked. I reached into the dashboard and pulled it out. I flipped it open and pressed the power button. Nothing happened.

"My phone's dead." I whispered brokenly, sliding back into my seat defeated. "Edward…"

The car sped up, protesting as he pushed it to its limits. I watched the images in my mind as the flashed and spun, wove into distinct patterns. Bloodthirsty crimson eyes, the dark forest, a crack of thunder and rain.

"How long can she hold up on her own?" Edward asked tersely. How long, against a force of the most acclaimed Volturi fighters? I calculated her odds the same time she began to.

"An hour." I decided. "Maybe a little bit more."

"I can be there." Edward soothed. "We'll get there in time. We just need to save her and high tail it out of there, we're faster than they are…"

I closed my eyes and concentrated on my sister. Her thoughts were fragmented as fire spread along her limbs. Flashes of her children, Jacob, a strange redheaded girl I couldn't quite place, the pack, myself, my family, Zack, Stella, and Eva. As long as Cassie was on fire, no vampire could touch her, they just danced around her. She continued to push them further into the forest, away from the school.

_I'm coming, Cass._ I tried to communicate. It got lost in the distance, but I did feel a swell of hope from Cassie. I'd gotten the message across, if not the words.

I continued to watch the battle, my breath coming much faster than necessary, wincing every time something came too close for comfort to Cassie's delicate skin, skin that I had so easily broken once already. Time was moving entirely too fast and yet too slow, time running out, time flying.

"She's getting weaker." I finally said out loud. "I'm not sure how much farther she can go." The fire was fading from her limbs.

"Almost there." Edward said. Sure enough I could see familiar sights outside. I kept on watching as Cassie bolted, the visions were clear now. Up on the cliff, the one I'd jumped off of eleven years ago.

"The beach, Edward." I mumbled He nodded curtly. I heard a howl as we raced through La Push.

"They got worried and came looking on their own. They just found their scent." Edward explained. "Cassie was supposed to meet them almost two hours ago."

"They don't know where to look." I said softly. "Go, tell them."

He turned to stare at me, but I'd already opened up the door and had bolted out.

"Bella!" He yelled.

"I'll be fine! Get them and tell them to come to the cliffs!" I yelled back as I began to run through the forest, ducking, twisting, the roar of the sea coming closer. I felt the heart wrenching decision to jump.

"No…" I whispered as I broke free of the trees and ran along the beach, ducking into the water. It was cold, too cold for Cassie. I swam quickly, darting through the water. I heard another howl, closer now. I could see the glint of red hair under the rough surface of the water. I dove down, wrapping my arms around her thin waist. She struggled weakly against me. She was almost unconscious.

I pulled her to the surface, dragging her back to the beach. The vampires on the cliff were gone, but I had no clue to where. I couldn't smell them. I placed her on a low, flat rock as gently as I could. Her heart was still pounding furiously.

"Cassie! Damnit Cassie!" I swore as I debated CPR. She was fragile, I was afraid I would break her ribs. She coughed, water flowed from her lips. That was a good sign, at least. I gently stroked her hair, trying to keep the rest of my body as far away as possible. She was cold. I just needed to make sure she was okay. She groaned softly.

"Cassie, please open your eyes." I begged. Please, for me Cassie. "Think of Echo and Blaze, Cassie, what are they going to do without their mom… and if Jacob loses you… please…" I wormed my way to what was most important, the faces that kept on repeating themselves when she thought she was going to die.

She took a deep breath of air, almost sitting up. I held her down, a firm hand on her shoulder. Her eyes popped open, looking into mine.

"Bella." She whispered, relief pouring from her voice. I closed my eyes as the same relief washed over me. If I could cry, I would have. Her eyes drifted closed again, but I was pretty sure she was going to be okay.

"Bella!" Edward's voice called to me. I looked up, smiling. "Please don't _ever_ do that to me again!"

"She's okay, I think. I'm afraid to move her." I said softly. "Where are…?"

"The pack is chasing them, but they're on the run. They weren't prepared to fight a whole pack, just one witch. Cassie roughly decimated half their number anyway. Jake is…"

"Cassandra!" Jacob's husky voice yelled out as he ran across the beach. His eyes were frantic, full of agony.

"Jacob, I think she's fine." I tried to comfort. He slowly wrapped her in his arms, tucking her limp body against his chest.

"She's probably just very tied, Jake." Edward soothed.

"I should have come and got her myself." Jacob said softly.

"You couldn't have known. Nobody could have known." I said softly. Jacob looked up at me, his eyes burning fiercely.

"You saved her life, Bella. Again." He tightened his arms around her. "Thank you. Thank you."

"She's my sister. I love her too." I tried to smile. It didn't come out right. "Let's get her home."

Jake, Edward, and I slowly walked up the beach, ducking through the trees. Cassie's breathing was slow, even. The light in Cassie's house was on, and that strange unknown red headed girl was on the porch. Edward was looking at her in shock.

"Jacob…" He said softly. Jacob nodded.

"I don't know what she's thinking about. But yeah, she's apparently my daughter from the future, the youngest one." He admitted. "That's Delilah." I stopped, shocked, looking up at her. She hovered anxiously near the door, her red hair was the same as Cassie's, her skin only a bit darker. Her violet eyes were mirror images of her sister and brother's.

"Is she okay?" The girl asked.

"You're still alive, aren't you?" Jacob replied shortly. The girl shrugged her shoulders, holding the door open and following us up the stairs. Jacob gently laid her on the bed and we waited in the hallway. When we entered the bedroom, he'd changed her into dry clothes. The window was open.

"The wolves haven't found anything." Edward said. "They're coming back now."

Jacob nodded absentmindedly, his arm protectively over Cassie. "I didn't expect them too." He admitted. "I couldn't go with them…I needed…"

"They know. They don't blame you." Edward answered. He turned his eyes to Delilah then as she stood near the closet.

"This didn't happen in your future, did it?" Jacob asked hoarsely. Delilah shook her head.

"I'm sorry. My being here must be affecting things…" She said sorrowfully.

"Yes." A different voice answered. Jezebel was at the window seat. I had to blink in shock. Jezebel was…for lack of better word, perfect. She was symmetrical, every feature perfectly in balance with the other. Her beauty was in that perfection. Her dark, curly hair was combed into ringlets, a black dress hugged her body perfectly.

"What happened to you?" I blurted out in awe. Jezebel rolled her eyes.

"Your Alice." She said dully. "Not the point. Our Delilah has changed things. For better, and worse. Pandora turned you in to the Volturi in the hopes of Delilah never being born."

"Why?" Delilah asked suddenly, running her hand through her already frazzled hair. "I've done nothing but screw up! Why worry about me?"

Jezebel looked over, almost in shock. "Your job…" She said evenly, standing and facing Delilah. "Is not to be right or wrong. You are the catalyst, what sets this all in motion. The brightest light in the world. Without you, there would never have been a fight."

"Exactly." Delilah said, as if though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jezebel giggled ruefully.

"No. There would have been no fight, because Pandora would have simply won. You were just too young. That can be helped. Doesn't matter anyway." Jezebel said airily, picking up the calendar by the desk and tossing it at Delilah. She caught it easily.

"Your birthday is in nine months." Edward said softly. Delilah looked away toward the floor.

"A little less." She admitted. "Mom's already four days pregnant." Jacob's eyes widened and he swore.

"What if…the fighting she just did…" I said softly. Delilah shrugged.

"I'm still here." She said nonchalantly. "I was always a tough cookie, just like mom."

**(AN) If you remember correctly, Cassie and Jake did go at it just four days ago :-p Delilah's a fall baby, Autumn's child. Cassie hasn't realized she's pregnant yet. In Delilah's future, the Volturi actually attacked four days after she was born. **


	25. Chapter 21: Sleepless Nights

**(AN) Actually, I always keep one of Matteo's shirts around when he's not here. It makes me feel better. EoF is drawing to a close…and I'm having a hard time thinking of titles for the next section. I have a few ideas. "Unending Sleep", "War of the Roses", "Dying Light", "Dark Fire", and "Checkmate." If you like any of them, or have any ideas, let me know!**

**Beth: I think I replied to your review, but I'm not sure if it went through . Sorry!**

**Chapter 21: Sleepless Nights**

I was unwilling to leave Cassie's side, which meant the pack had gathered in my front yard. I didn't even want to leave our bedroom, but Carlisle assured me she would be fine, and I did trust the leech.

"It's dishonorable, what they did." Sam mumbled as he stared out in the direction of his home. If I concentrated hard enough, I could hear Emily's voice mixed in with a variety of girly squeals, one I knew as my Echo, the other I could guess as Sam's daughters. The pack was arranged in a lose semicircle, oriented toward my porch. Stella sat on the steps, Zack on her one side, Paul on the other, and Eva in her lap. Delilah was on the porch, her eyes drifting off into space, unfocused. The pack was wary of her, although they couldn't deny who she was. She looked far too much like Cassie.

"The Volturi were never very honorable." Zack commented, kissing Stella's forehead. "They thrive on lies and deceit. They never met Beltane, but they know her story. They know Cassie's a big threat."

I shook minutely, reining myself in. "Will you keep my kids tonight, Sam?" I asked softly. He nodded. Leah stepped forward.

"You don't have to, Sam. Seth and I can watch them. You've barely got enough room in your place now." She said quietly. I nodded absently.

"If you don't mind, Leah." I replied, my eyes flicking back up to Cassie's window.

"Let's go home, guys, double patrols." Sam ordered. We all nodded. Paul stood, stretching.

"I'll take first patrol." He offered. Sam and I both nodded.

"I'll go with him." Quil volunteered. "If you hear howling…"

Paul began to walk away. I turned to go up the porch, but was stopped by Eva's voice.

"Paul?" She called softly. He stopped immediately, almost sprinting back to her.

"What's wrong Evie?" He asked lightly. Eva frowned, her small fingers touching his face.

"You won't leave me?" She questioned. "You'll never leave me?"

Paul blinked in surprise, but his reaction wasn't what I noticed. Delilah froze, her eyes wide as she turned to stare at Eva. Her fingers had curled to securely grasp the edge of the wicker chair until they turned pale.

"I'll never leave you, Evie." Paul soothed, kissing her forehead. "I'm just going to work, I'll be back when you wake up in the morning. Promise."

"Where's Echo?" She asked now, her eyes still focused on Paul. Paul smiled.

"She's spending the night with Leah and Seth." Paul explained. Eva frowned.

"Why isn't she with me?" She asked softly. Paul smiled.

"She'll be back in the morning too." He replied, standing again.

"When I wake up, and you'll be here too? Forever?" Her eyes widened innocently.

"And ever." Paul finished. Delilah stood up suddenly, her eyes icy.

"You shouldn't lie to her." She muttered softly and quickly. Paul looked at her, confused.

"I'm not…"

"How do you know?" Delilah questioned, louder now. Her eyes burned holes in Paul. "How do you know that you'll always be there? You can't know that. You shouldn't get her hopes up for your fairytale world."

Paul shrank back from the fire there. I didn't blame him. Delilah stalked off the porch, into the yard, past the few remaining wolves. Jezebel had appeared on the porch, looking idly out over the scene as Delilah faded into the forest.

"Issues much?" Paul grumbled. I tried to smile, but failed miserably.

"She's starting to forget." Jezebel said softly. "It worries her, but it means she's succeeding at changing something at the least."

"How the hell do you know?" I asked. Jezebel smiled suddenly. It was dizzying in its brilliance when she looked somewhat normal. If it wasn't for the eyes, she'd be very beautiful.

"I know that she's her mother through and through. It's almost horrifying." She admitted, looking up at the cloudy sky.

"How are you so calm?" I asked suspiciously. She smiled again, patting Stella's head.

"I've got hope." She responded. "And Faith, ironically enough. I won't be around to see the aftermath anyway."

"Running away?" I challenged angrily. Her smile fell and she turned to look at me. Her eyes seemed to strip away my skin. I felt kind of like I was four years old under that ancient stare.

"No." She whispered. "No more running. Not for me, or any of you, or even your children. Running is not an option." I scowled, trying to think of something to say to that, but I was interrupted as the Cullens drifted out of my home.

"Cassie's awake, Jacob." Carlisle said softly. "She's pretty out of it, though, but I think she's going to be fine. We…didn't tell her about the baby."

"That's all you, Jacob." Emmett whispered sympathetically. I sighed, looking up at the window.

"Thanks, guys." I whispered. Bella threw herself at me, giving me a huge hug. She was colder than ice and smelled horrible, but it was comforting none the less. I passed Zack, Stella, and Eva on the porch. Zack had a paper open on his lap, looking at houses. I'd ask him about it later.

Our room was dark. Cassie was sitting up in bed. She smiled softly when I opened the door and slipped in.

"Cass." I breathed, drinking in the comforting sight of her. She looked a little better, I wonder if the doc had given her any medicine. There was color in her cheeks, although I could see bruises in her pale skin and bags under her eyes. She reached for me and I leaned toward her, inhaling her sweet scent as her arms wrapped around me.

"I thought I lost you." I whispered softly. She smiled.

"I thought I was gone." She admitted as I crawled into bed beside her. The room smelled like leech, but at least Cassie's heart was still beating. I would be forever grateful for that. I held her gently in my arms.

"Did you dress me?" She asked sleepily. I blinked, nodding.

"Yeah, why?" I asked. She smiled.

"This is my favorite shirt to sleep in. I was wondering if someone got lucky." She gestured to the oversized t-shirt, one of my old ones. "I like it because it reminds me of you when you're patrolling."

"You're hopeless." I answered. "Hopeless and extremely unlucky."

"Not unlucky." She mumbled. "It was a tactical strike. I would have done the same had I been in their position."

"You can't fight anymore Cassie." I whispered softly. She froze, looking up at me, wide eyed.

"Like hell I can't, Jake. I'm going to be fine, and I'll be strong enough to fight again when they come back. You need me to fight." She protested, her hands circling my arms.

"Yes." I agreed, my eyes closed. If we wanted to win, we did need Cassie, but that didn't matter. "We need you, but you can't fight, Cass. Not unless you want to lose another daughter." I finished bitterly.

I watched the emotions flick through her eyes, anger, confusion, disbelief. She closed her eyes, searching deep inside herself for something small, something that was foreign and yet a part of her. I knew the moment she found it, her hands went limp and dropped to the bed.

"Oh my god." She whispered. I pushed her hair away from her face.

"It's going to be okay." I reassured gently. "I'll protect you."

"I can't help you." She whispered, panic edging along the underside of her voice. "What if something happens to you? And I'm not there?"

"Nothing is going to happen to me." I gently kissed her forehead.

"I can't lose you Jake." She pleaded, her head on my chest.

"You won't." I promised, looking straight into her eyes.

"In the future." She whispered. "I did. Delilah told me, that you died, and I couldn't bear it then, Jake, I can't bear it now. I can't just sit here not knowing if you're okay or if you're dead…" Tears trickled down her face and I wrapped her tightly in my arms.

"She's changing the future, Cassie." I said, more boldly than I felt. "Jezebel said so. The future is changing, and we'll survive this. Just like we always do."

"Promise?" She asked. I smiled.

"Promise."

Cassie was tired, it was easy for her to fall back into a restless sleep. She was fitful, tossing and turning, even my arm around her thin frame didn't seem to make a bit of difference. I couldn't sleep. I got up a few times, half thinking to check on the kids, before I realized they weren't there. Then I would call Seth and Leah's. The last time I called Seth had told me to go to bed, everything was fine.

Sleep. Sleep knowing that someday, I might not be there. Someday, I might leave my beautiful soul mate, my kids, my friends and family. My death, should it happen, would most likely be hideously painful and violet. For some reason, that wasn't the part that really bothered me. What bothered me was the thought of Cassie unable to go on, much the same way I would feel without her. When I thought of this, I'd hold her a little tighter.

I heard the door open downstairs long after Zack and Stella had fallen asleep. I got up, slipping downstairs. Paul was in the kitchen, digging through our fridge. I sighed, leaning against the door frame.

"Are you just going to come here every morning and eat all our food?" I griped. Paul grinned, pulling out the milk.

"I'm a growing boy Jake." He said, pouring a glass. "Did you just get up?"

"No, I'm still awake." I replied as Paul downed the milk. "Eva's in the living room."

"Already saw her." Paul said with a satisfied smile. "Delilah probably spooked her somehow, like I wouldn't come back." He snorted, satisfied that it was impossible. I swallowed. There was a way that Paul wouldn't come back for Eva, if he got himself killed the same way I did.

"Where is negative Nancy?" Paul asked. I shrugged.

"She didn't come back after she walked off. She could be anywhere in the world."

"Must be awful, raising witch kids." Paul mused. "You send them up to their room, they go visit Aunt Rebecca in Hawaii." He laughed quietly.

"Try being imprinted on one." I smirked. "Oh wait, you are. Good luck with that man." Paul winced, his eyes racing, pulled back to the living room.

"How much trouble can she possibly get in?" He wondered out loud. I had to keep from laughing. The back door opened and Delilah walked in, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

"You'd be surprised." She said with a smile. "She broke her arm once in middle school. Daniel dared her to climb up a tree. Echo and Tyler weren't around to tell him to back off, they had the flu. You made Daniel cry and then followed Evie around like a lost puppy for three months. It was hilarious. Daniel was still a bit afraid of you last time I saw him."

"You're joking." Paul accused. Delilah grinned, dancing into the living room with her mother's grace.

"It sounds like something you'd do." I pointed out.

"Go to bed, Jacob." Paul retorted crossly. "So I can raid your fridge in peace." I chuckled and flicked him off as I turned to go upstairs. I passed the living room on my way up and saw Delilah lying on the couch, playing with the locket around her neck.

"You seem pretty amused with the antics of overprotective werewolves." I mused. She smiled. "Sounds like you got to watch it in action growing up."

"Blaze and Eva were kinda always around." She pointed out. I grinned.

"And from personal experience?" I asked, trying to weasel information out of her. She turned and smiled.

"I ticked off Blaze once, normal sibling stuff. My wolf leaped in front of me before Blaze could hurt me, even though I don't think he would have. He just shook for a couple minutes, he was always so in control. My wolf and Blaze still didn't talk for a week though. So, yes, I have personal experience with overprotective werewolves." She whispered, laying down and closing her eyes. After that, I managed to sleep.


	26. Interlude: Delilah's December

**(AN) This happens after Delilah leaves and before she comes back in the last chapter. It's her wondering about what's going to happen to them and remembering things from her past. Gotta love Liley! The song is from the Fox cartoon move "Anastasia". I imagine that kids would still like it in the future. I know I did!**

**Interlude: Delilah's December**

I remembered. I remembered silver in the air, lying on the ground. I could remember being warm, safe, and happy. It was late, the snow sparkled in the air.

"Echo." I whined, turning to face her. We were on our porch, dressed in our winter coats and boots, with a sweater over our pajamas. She looked down at me with a questioning look. "I'm tired."

She was about twelve then, but she didn't tell me to stop being a baby. She just wrapped her long arms around me tighter and whispered in my ear. He warm breath tickled. "It'll be soon, you'll wanna see, I promise."

"Sing." I demanded sleepily. She giggled, kissing my cheek before her warm voice broke the icy silence.

"Someone holds me safe and warm. Wolves prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully across my memory…" Her voice twirled with the silver, the most magical sound in the world. A wolf howled somewhere nearby, and then suddenly though the silver, I could see dim hulking shapes of monstrous wolves, three or four, appearing from the snowy fog as if Echo's song had summoned them. I grabbed Echo's arm and gasped in surprise. She giggled and continued to sing.

"Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember. Things my heart used to know. Things it yearns to remember and a song someone sings once upon a December…" The wolves moved forward as if entranced by Echo's voice, something I could hardly fault them for. I was about to turn back, to run inside, when the largest wolf stepped onto the porch, shaking the white from his red brown fur. His warm, laughing brown eyes met mine.

Instantly I was no longer afraid. I reached out, touching his nose. He snorted, his tongue lolling out his mouth. I laughed.

"Echo." I whispered in wonder, reaching out with both arms to the mountain of fur in front of me. "It's _Dad_."

"I know." She whispered in my ear. "The ones behind him. Those are…Leah, Seth, and Paul. That's why you shouldn't be afraid of the wolves, Liley. They're our family."

"Daddy." I whispered, entranced, running my small fingers through his warm fur. "Daddy's a wolf." I heard musical laughter in the background, laughter I knew as my mother's. She was in the doorway, her eyes dancing.

"Echo wanted to show her." Mom said softly. "She was _insistent_ that she be here when Liley saw. Blaze went to bed."

Dad rolled one large eye and poked his muzzle gently at Echo's shoulder. She shrugged. "I wanted to be with her when she saw magic for the first time." Echo explained. I smiled brilliantly. Dad chuckled, ducking away from us and disappearing into the snowy night again. Seth stepped forward, inclining his neck so I felt compelled to pat his huge furry head. Dad appeared again, bare-chested like a fierce ancient warrior, his hair covered in snow. He ducked past Seth, scooping me up in his arms. Echo leaned forward to kiss Seth's forehead before taking Dad's hand as he led us back into our warm home, where mom slowly took off all of my layers and sent me back to bed, where I would dream for the rest of my life of that night.

"Echo." I whispered after mom and dad kissed us goodnight. She looked up and I tiptoed across the floor, crawling into bed beside her. She scooted over to make room for me and my stuffed puppy, playfully named Seth. "Are we magic too?"

"We're special." Echo murmured softly. "So are Mom, Eva, and Blaze. Even Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward."

"Why?" I asked, my eyes looking into hers. They were like mirrors of each other. She smiled.

"I dunno." She answered. "I don't think about it. The whole world is special, Liley. We're just special in a very different way 'cause we know things nobody else will ever know."

"But…the magic is good magic. Right?" I asked, wrinkling my nose.

"Of course it is. Everything out there at night, everything in the dark, loves us Liley. Nothing out there will ever hurt us." She promised. To my knowledge, it was the only time she ever lied to me.

Echo fell asleep that night before I did, but I remember clearly laying awake. I could hear Blaze's light snoring through our wall, Mom's gentle musical voice laced with Dad's rougher, huskier one in a harmony that could never be imitated, that I would always remember. We were safe in our sturdy house that was protected by layers of magic so strong I would never quite understand it. I was warm with my sister beside me, her breath warm on my shoulder, snuggled deep under the quilt. We were whole, nobody was hurt or upset. Darkness was our friend, not our enemy.

I'd lost everything. Gone like the snow before Echo's birthday. Ashes, dirt, and disease had claimed everyone. I wasn't even sure where my own wolf was. Had he come looking for me, only to find Eva's body and a furious, seething Echo?

He wouldn't have survived. I knew that. I had to change it.

I wasn't quite sure how I ended up at Sam and Emily's. It was a call that I answered, something that pulled at my soul, my second home growing up. I could remember Emily's face perfectly, the same way I remembered my mom's. She'd been beautiful, despite the scars, and so kind…

I sat on his porch, feeling the presences in the house. Sam and Emily were both sleeping, as were their children. I blinked up to the first window, balancing precariously on the edge. When I saw Emma and Abby, I couldn't quite see them as children they were now. I saw Abby, her hair cropped and wild, on the back of Daniel's bike. I saw Emma, so ill she couldn't get out of bed. I shook those images from my head, climbing to the next window skillfully. Sam didn't stir. He was slipping, I thought idly.

The next window looked into Isaac's room. I watched him sleep, my eyes wondering over his tiny form. He wasn't even a shadow of the man I knew whose eyes were always marked with a permanent tattoo of sadness and regret. I wonder if he saw the same things in my eyes when he looked at me.

I hoped he didn't.

It could still be changed.

Echo had never been afraid of the darkness, after all, not even when it finally claimed her.


	27. Chapter 22: Seth Clearwater

**(AN) Bonus chapter from Seth's POV. He's going to be such a major character in the next part of the story that I felt like I should flush him out now. I really like this chapter, I think it's really cute. :-) **

**Chapter 22: Seth Clearwater**

It was sunny. The morning was beautiful and bright, happy. I couldn't find anything happy about this day, though. I slumped in the couch, the TV blaring loudly about some political nothingness.

Nothingness. Oblivion. I could feel oblivion, pulsing raw in the back of my mind. I took a deep breath. I, Seth Clearwater, was going completely nuts. I groaned and fell backwards, my head now dangling off the battered sofa.

I was worried. I was worried about the Volturi, about my home and friends, about my family. But for some reason, most of all, I was worried about the little girl I'd grown to love like a little sister.

_I stole your sister away from you, did I?_ That evil thing had asked Delilah. Delilah, who couldn't be anything but Red's daughter. That didn't need to be proven, all someone had to do was look at her. She had her mother's long, artistic hands, the elegant walk that was more like dancing. These things Echo had never seemed to pick up, at least not yet. And of course, the best piece of evidence, the way I'd wanted to protect this Delilah the same way Jacob had. As if a part of me knew that I'd love her someday as a sister, a friend.

I heard the floorboards upstairs creak. It wasn't Leah, she always stepped around them. The weight shifted softly as the small girl made her way down the stairs. The steady beat of her heart was soothing.

"Coco, I'm in here." I called, sitting up on the couch. The girl dashed around the corner and tossed herself at me with childlike glee. I couldn't help but smile as I caught her and threw her into the air. She giggled happily as I settled her onto the couch beside me, her hair a tangled mess of inky strands, her pale blue nightgown that was slightly too long fanning out around her.

"What ya' watchin?" She asked, her head tilted to the side.

"Talking head show." I explained. She looked up in confusion and I grinned. "These people are all fighting with each other about the best way to run the country." I finished.

"Oh." Echo commented, scrunching up her nose. "Isn't that the president's wife's job?"

I looked down at her in shock, shaking my head. "No, it's the president's job. Why would his wife do it?"

"Mama says that behind every good man is a great woman." Echo explained matter-of-factly, her hand inching toward the remote. "And behind every great woman is a very clever dog."

I couldn't help but laugh at that one as I snatched the remote from Echo's grasp. She pouted, clambering onto her knees and reaching for it. "C'mon, Seth! Letme see!" She pleaded, her violet eyes wide.

"Magic word, Echo." I reminded. Echo instantly withdrew, her lower lip trembling, her eyes large and gleaming.

"Please Seth…pretty please." She said softly. I couldn't help it, the kid had me wrapped around her fingers the same way she had her dad. I sighed and handed her the remote. She mashed the buttons quickly, flicking through the channels and drawing her knees up to her chin. I gently mused her tangled her as we drifted into comfortable silence. Echo didn't demand me to talk. She was one of the most understanding people I'd ever met. This wasn't saying a whole lot though, because in all reality, my best friend was a five year old girl.

"You're sad." She commented after awhile. It shook me out of my stupor.

"Not sad." I corrected. "Just…worried."

"Worryin' makes you get gray hairs. Emily says so." Echo commented disdainfully.

"Well, sometimes you can't help worrying." I defended. She turned her violet orbs to me again, an eyebrow rose in challenge.

"Why are you worryin'? Is it important?" She asked, putting away the remote. I wasn't quite sure how to answer her, so I just stared. She met my gaze, honest and upfront, unashamed.

"You're worryin' about me." She said so softly I almost missed it. I couldn't say I was shocked. It hadn't been the first time she'd come out of the blue with something so straight to the truth. I nodded. "Why?" She pressed.

"I don't know." I responded. "I worry about you growing up." I admitted, as honestly as I could.

"Will you still be my friend? When I'm growed up?" She asked, playing with the long dark hair.

"Of course I will, Coco…" I began. Her piercing eyes stopped me.

"Am I bad?" She asked. "Do I hurt people? Do I hurt mama and daddy?" Tears formed in her eyes, tears she held back as bravely as she could for a little girl. I pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"No, Coco. You are not bad." I refused to believe that, Echo didn't have a mean bone in her body. "You make your family very happy. Your mom and dad love you so much Echo, why would you ever think…"

"I dunno." She interrupted. "Evie thinks sometimes, and I can see the things she thinks. Evie thinks of me hurting people, but I'm growed up and bad. I don't wanna be, because then you won't be my friend anymore." She admitted as the tears finally fell, cascading down her cheeks. I quickly wiped them off.

"Coco." I said sternly. "I will always be your friend, because if you don't want to be bad, you won't be. And we'll all grow up together and live happily ever after." I soothed, rubbing circles on her back. She sniffled quietly into my chest.

"Hey." I said suddenly as I heard Leah move upstairs. "Wanna do something fun?"

"Uh huh." She nodded, wiping her eyes. I lifted her off my lap and kissed her forehead.

"Go upstairs and ask Leah to help you get dressed and do your hair. Then come backstairs and we'll go for a run."

"I can't keep up." She pointed out. "You're too fast, you'll let me win."

"I'm going to carry you." I reassured. "I'm going to be a puppy, and we're going to run."

Her eyes sparkled immediately and she grinned, turning and flying up the stairs. I laughed as Leah heaved a sigh upstairs.

"Jake's gonna kill you." She predicted under her breath. Thanks to my hearing, I could still detect it.

"He'll survive." I said back as I grabbed a fresh pair of shorts from the laundry room. I headed outside to wait anxiously, phasing as soon as I hit the woods. I then proceeded to pace while Leah combed Echo's tangled hair.

_Seth, what are you doing? _Brady asked, Colin was with him. Colin's thoughts were simply on the trail he was running.

_Taking Echo for a run._ I answered. I felt the rush of exasperation from his mind.

_You'd swear you were imprinted on the kid, Seth. Are you having issues cause you're not imprinted yet? _Brady asked scornfully. I growled low under my breath.

_She's a sweet kid. Better than most of the adults I know._ I seethed, fighting the urge to hunt Brady down and rip and tear.

_Still, you're not imprinted on her. Stop acting like it, man. And by the way, I could so take you._ Brady challenged. I tensed, ready to spring.

_Brady, knock it off. _Colin demanded. _So what if he's not imprinted. I like hanging out with Echo. She's going to be wicked awesome when she grows up._

_Wicked hot too, huh Seth?_ Brady tormented. I was seconds away from springing into the woods when Colin tackled Brady, holding him to the ground.

_Enough! Jesus, cool off somewhere! _Colin growled. Brady's mind exited our little consciousness.

_What's his problem?_ I asked, irritated.

_He's just mad that he's the last single guy in the pack left. Well, except you. But you never acted like a single guy, Paul did. _There was an unasked question in that statement, one that floated through his mind.

_I really haven't imprinted on Echo. She's just…an awesome kid to be around. Besides, somebody has to watch her while Leah has Blaze. They're all kinda inseparable. _I answered. _I don't do the whole dating thing because…well, what if I fall in love with some great girl, and then imprint on someone else? I don't want to make another Leah. It's safer to just wait. I've seen it in your minds, and I know that when I do find her, it will be totally worth it._

_Yeah. _He answered. _It really is worth it._ He paused. _Do you know Paul feels guilty?_

_Why? _I asked. Colin heaved an internal sigh.

_Cause apparently Evie has been dreaming of him since before she was born. Nobody else, just him, and for the past four years Paul's been man-whoring around…_

_Aww, man, that's not his fault. He couldn't know. _

_Yeah, I know that, but he keeps wondering why he didn't have your attitude, the 'true love waits' thing. _

_You make me sound like a pansy, Colin. _

_You kind of are, but it's okay. _He teased playfully. _He dumped that trashy blonde the other day. He wouldn't return her calls, so she came looking for him. _Colin ran through the whole scenario in his head, obviously picked out of Paul's head. I couldn't help but laugh as the irate bottle blonde tossed a mug at Paul's head.

_She had good aim. _I complimented. Colin laughed, and finally faded to the dull rhythmic beating of his paws on the path.

Finally, I could hear her coming down the stairs. I slipped closer to the house, ear perked for Echo's tell-tell footsteps. I didn't have to listen too hard, because as she was walking through the house, she was also humming, a wordless lullaby that sounded familiar to me.

"Seth?" She called as she stepped outside, her unruly hair braided and pinned back. I couldn't help but internally laugh, Leah must have known I intended to run fast. I stepped out of the shadows with a pitiful whimper. She turned to me immediately, reaching out before she really thought about it. Her eyes glowed when she was happy.

I poked her small hand with my muzzle, laying down and trying to make myself as small as possible. I wasn't one of the wolves known for my sheer size, but I was _tall._ Still a little on the gangly side, though, if that were possible. I inclined my head in a way to tell her to climb on, she didn't hesitate. She clambered onto my back with a surprising amount of agility.

But then again, maybe it wasn't so surprising. She was Jacob and Cassie's daughter, after all. She dug her hands into my fur, getting a good hold. I waited patiently until she was on securely before I took off at a trot, reining in my pace. Colin watched through my eyes, amused.

"Can't you go faster?" She asked softly. I chuckled lowly as I began to pick up my pace. Moving from a trot to a gallop, then even faster. Her laughter was breathless, ringing off the trees like music, echoing around us. Colin appeared on my right, running next to me. Echo buried her head in my fur as the wind whipped past us. For a moment, I didn't understand how I could be worried. This was my Echo, practically my baby sister, and nothing in the world could change her or take her away from us.

Finally, we came to a stop in Jake's back yard. Echo jumped down and Colin tapped her with his muzzle. She turned to him and grinned as she began to babble, her hair falling out of the braid. I turned to the woods and phased, pulling on my clothing. When I came back, Echo was sitting on the ground and Colin was making his way back into the forest.

"See you around man." I said as we passed. He nodded before disappearing into the trees. I snatched Echo off the ground.

"Did you like that?" I asked, sufficiently pleased with myself. She nodded, tossing her arms around my neck.

"Can we run again?" She asked. I laughed.

"Not now, but soon." I promised as I pushed open her back door. The scene inside stopped me cold.

Paul was standing at the stove, covered in flour from head to toe, a pan sizzling in front of him. Eva was giggling hysterically on the counter as Paul brushed the flour from his face.

"Man, what are you doing?" I asked with an appreciative whistle at the sheer amount of mess he'd created.

"I'm making pancakes." He answered brightly.

"Mommy's going to kill Paul." Echo said gravely. I nodded in agreement.

"Doubt it." Paul said confidently. "They've got bigger things to worry about."

"Like what? Dude, leeches could be on Red's doorstep and she'd still find time to rip you a new one over this…"

Paul's face darkened as he looked down at Eva. For some reason it made me clutch Echo just a tiny bit tighter to me. She squirmed a little bit.

"They're sending the kids away from here, Seth. They don't think we're going to make it, so they're trying to hide the kids. Red took out their tracker, so it's possible to hide them…if we're very careful…" He whispered so softly, Echo and Eva couldn't hope to hear, but all the color drained from my face.

This was going to end badly. I could tell.


	28. Chapter 23: The Siren, Sword, and Shield

**(AN) This chapter is sad as hell. While you're listening to it, I recommend the song Lady by Regina Specktor, it's quoted down at the bottom. By the way, apparently there was some issue with fanfiction, which means a bunch of you might not have gotten news about the last update. There is another chapter about Seth before this one, if you didn't get it :-) Thanks for reading! **

**Chapter 23: The Siren, the Sword, and the Shield**

Only we could know the specifics. Bella, Zack, Stella, Delilah, Jezebel, and I were the only ones whose minds were safe no matter what. Thankfully, Bella had been planning for this moment since she found out about Eva's dreams. Bella, who had the foresight to plan for this, knew that we would try to salvage something, anything if we could. No matter the cost, we would want to save our children.

Even without us, they still had a chance to live. That was enough, enough to work to save. Beyond that, we had lost all hope. Stella stared blankly at the white walls, seeing patterns in the swirls that weren't actually there. The life had been drawn out of her, because above all things, she was a mother saying goodbye to her child, sending Eva out into the world, without knowing whether she would ever see her again. That thought had destroyed the ever-present glimmer of hope Stella gave off. I had never realized how much I depended on it until it was gone. Zack sat beside her on the bench, his arms wrapped tight around her, absently stroking her hair. Jezebel held my hand as I rested my head on her shoulder. Delilah sat across from us, her head in her hands in despair.

That morning, Alice had called with the news. Jake and I had still been asleep. I wasn't fully awake even as I answered, not until she told me in her high, trilling voice that there was a fifty percent chance we were going to die.

"What do you mean?" Jake had asked roughly, jerked from his sleep, pulling the phone from my hands. I reached over and hit the speaker button.

"I don't know." Alice said calmly. "Someone has to make a decision. One outcome kills everyone I can see, the other one saves everyone, but I can't see what the decision is or who makes it…"

"Why are you telling us this?" I asked, horrified. Alice paused for a moment.

"We can hide some of your family, the pack. Their families, your kids…"

"But they have that tracker." I distinctly remembered Bella saying that. "The one that can find anyone." I protested.

"Yeah they had him." Alice laughed bitterly. "Then you torched him." She couldn't quite hide the pride in her voice. I ignored it. Alice continued. "Bella already requested passports for nearly everyone in the pack. If there are any survivors after the battle, they can run too."

"Alice…" Jacob said softly, grabbing my hand. "We'd be leaving the kids unprotected if we send them away…"

"Listen, mutt." Alice began. "Nothing here is for certain, but this way they have a running chance. Send a wolf or two with them. It probably won't affect the outcome of our battle."

"Okay, we'll meet Bella somewhere." Jake began, climbing out of bed.

"No! No!" Alice protested. "You can't go, Jake, you can't see the fake IDs, you can't even see where we got them! Your mind isn't safe! You can't know anything, where they're going, who they're with…" Jake froze, looking at the phone. His hand shook. I quickly grabbed the phone off of him.

"Alice, it's Cassie again." I said softly. "Tell me where to meet Bella. I'll bring all the witches I can find."

We were supposed to meet Bella at this suburban strip mall. We'd been waiting for ten minutes already. Delilah groaned a sound like a wounded animal. I reached out for her automatically, pulling her tight to me.

"It'll be okay." I whispered.

"This is my fault." She said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"You could never have known." Jezebel soothed. "It will turn out okay."

"Tell me things." I asked "Tell me about growing up." I tried to distract her.

"It was awesome." She admitted tearfully. "Until all the kids we grew up with started springing into giant fur balls. Then it started to get a little scary."

"What did you like best about being a kid?" I asked again, only half listening to the answer, scanning for Bella through the crowd.

"I don't know. I loved the bonfires in the summer, Christmas at Emily's…I loved listening to Echo, but everyone did."

"Listening to Echo?" I questioned. Delilah laughed.

"Yeah. She has this voice…it's kinda like her other talent, besides lighting shit on fire. Her voice makes you _feel _things when she sings. She could make you happy or sad or angry…it was amazing to listen to, like an out of body experience. It's kinda like being around Uncle Jasper when she sings."

"Can you all make fire?" I asked now, truly diverted and curious. Delilah nodded.

"Yeah, just like you. Blaze is a wolf too, that's cool. He's huge, bigger than dad." She smiled now.

"Did you have something extra too? Another talent?" I asked, stroking her hair. Zack looked up and raised an eyebrow. Lilah blushed, looking away.

"Mine really isn't very cool." She said softly. "I couldn't change into a wolf or sing really well. Course Echo always thought that was kinda useless too."

"What can you do?" Zack asked now, also intrigued.

"I'm a shield." Delilah said softly. "Not like Aunt Bella…I'm a physical shield. I can't do anything about mental attacks though." She furrowed her brow. "That's why I couldn't save Echo." She finished softly.

"The siren, the sword, and the shield." Jezebel murmured quietly, squeezing my hand.

"That's really pretty cool, Liley." I said gently. She flashed me a brilliant smile.

And that smile made everything change for me. Because in that smile, I could see a little girl still, one who didn't have to watch her family die, because deep inside, I was strong. Maybe I wasn't strong enough to defeat Pandora, in the end, but I was strong enough to protect my Echo now that I knew she would be vulnerable. All I had to do was get through the Volturi. And I could do that, for my kids, if nothing else.

In an instant, the world seemed to shimmer and change. I could feel Bella approaching. She slipped to my side immediately handing me a bundle of papers. "I got passports for all the kids, driver's licenses and passports for everyone else." She said quietly.

"None of the wives are going to want to go." I said softly as I flipped through the small stack and put them in the totebag I was carrying. I noticed she'd gotten passports for Emily, Kim, and Lucy as well. "We won't leave them."

"I figured, but its better safe than sorry." Bella said gently. She turned to Delilah curiously. "You're a shield?" She asked. I didn't pay attention as Delilah told Bella the same story, I was on my phone, dialing a number almost forgotten.

"William Luwen." The voice answered, gruff and authoritarian. I almost smiled.

"Dad, it's…"

"Cassandra?" He interrupted before I could finish. "My Cassie Beth? Why are you calling on this line, princess?" He asked, worry creeping into his voice.

"You don't always answer the disposable line, Dad, but I'm pretty sure we're safe right now, at least from the coven." I winced internally as he did, but I continued on. "Dad, we need your help."

"What's wrong?" He asked suddenly.

"There's a problem, a supernatural problem." I explained quietly. "We wanted to know if you could come and pick up the kids and take them somewhere. Somewhere safe. Billy is going to come too, and maybe Leah…"

"Sure, honey, if it's necessary. I'll take them to Disneyworld." He sounded almost thrilled with the idea. "Just Echo and Blaze, right?"

"Eva, too. Zack and Stella are here to help us out." I added on.

"Is it serious?" He asked gravely. I hesitated. I could tell him the truth, the fact that we might all die, that we were hiding our kids desperately.

"No, Dad." I lied smoothly. "It just might get a little messy and we don't want the kids around for it. We figured it would be a nice vacation for them. When can you be here?"

Zack snorted, but didn't object to my lie. Bella tossed an arm gently around my shoulders as we walked, rubbing soothing icy circles on my back. It was comforting.

"I can be there tomorrow. I'll get all the plane tickets taken care of." He reassured.

"Thank you dad." I whispered, tears building up in my eyes.

The next afternoon, everything the kids would need was packed and in the car. Jacob had done most of it in an effort to expend all of his nervous energy. I couldn't tell Jake where they were going or that they would be with my dad, and I knew this fact bothered him. There was a deep worry line on his forehead that just couldn't seem to go away.

Alice had reassured us that we could spare a few wolves and that it didn't affect the outcome. That's how I'd ended up begging Leah to go with them. I'd seen her eyes flash angry, watched her shake and storm, rage and throw things, but I knew the moment she looked at Blaze, she'd agree with me. Seth had actually pushed her into it as well, stating that speed wasn't going to help them in a direct fight, and she wasn't the best fighter. Her skills were better put to use protecting her imprint and his family, Echo and Eva.

Paul, one of our best fighters, couldn't leave. He kept casting worried looks at the blonde girl sitting on her suitcase in the hall, her hand securely in Echo's.

"We have to get going." I whispered to Jake, lightly touching his shoulder. The look he gave me was one of barely concealed agony. It made me wild with pain as well as I latched onto him.

"I wish you would go too, Cass." He begged softly. "Please, just stay with them, you can't do any good here…"

That was true, my powers were fading everyday. The Volturi were due in two days, and I was helpless, but I wasn't leaving Jake. I shook my head, pressing my lips together tightly. He sighed helplessly and trudged to the car, pulling Echo into his arms on his way. Zack and Stella knelt beside Eva, talking in low soothing voices. Eva's attention wasn't on them, but rather continually flicked from Echo, outside with Jake, to Paul, leaning on the wall by me and just barely keeping it together.

"Paul." She called, interrupting her parents and reaching out her hand for Paul. Paul slipped off the wall, walking quickly to her and kneeling beside her. She put a pale hand on Pale's face, as if she was soothing him.

"I'll be back soon, Paul." She whispered. He nodded, not trusting his voice to say anything. Zack patted him on the back lightly.

"Evie, it's time to go." Stella said, trying to be bright. Eva shook her head, grasping onto Paul.

"Paul, trust me." She pleaded softly. "I'm just goin' away for a bit."

Paul looked up then, meeting her eyes. They stared at each other for a few minutes until Paul nodded, gently brushing her cheek with his fingertips. "I trust you." He declared.

Eva smiled brilliantly which seemed to melt Paul's depression and rage away instantly. She stood up to kiss his cheek. "Love you, Paul."

"Love you too, kid." Paul said gently, standing. Eva reached out for Stella's hand, smiling at her mother.

"I'm ready to go, mommy." She said sweetly. Stella nodded, speechless, as Eva led her outside.

"You believe her?" Zack asked, appraising Paul. He nodded, determined.

"She wouldn't lie to me." Paul said softly, heading outside and standing on our porch. I sighed.

"The problem is, what is she going to come home too?" Zack mused angrily, storming out in front of me. I followed. Jacob was buckling Blaze into the car seat, Echo stood beside him. He turned wearily, kneeling down beside her.

"Echo." He said softly, kissing her forehead. "You know you're my girl, right?" He asked, pressing his forehead against hers. She nodded. "I love you so much, sweetheart." He mumbled. "I'll see you again soon."

"I'll miss you daddy." Echo said tearfully, tossing her arms around his neck. Jacob took a deep, shuddering breath, squeezing her tight in his too large arms. They let go of each other unwillingly.

"Leah." Jake called as Seth led Echo to the other side of the car. I slipped to Jake's side, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around me automatically. Leah stopped in front of us, her eyes full of water. I touched her arm supportively.

"I know you'll take care of Blaze, Leah." Jake whispered. "But remember…"

"I'd never let anything happen to the girls. Seth and Paul would destroy me." Leah answered quickly, too cheerfully. "And I love them too, Jake." She finished softer. Jake nodded, turning a little. I slipped out from under his arm and engulfed Leah in a hug.

"It'll be okay, Leah." I whispered, not sure if I was trying to convince her, Jake, Zack, Stella, or myself. "Someday I'm going to help you pick out your wedding dress, remember that."

"And Blaze's tux." Leah whispered back. "You're the best friend a bitch like me could have, Cassie."

"Just take care of my kids, alright?" I pleaded. She nodded.

"Everything's ready to go." Zack called. I sighed, opening the car door. Leah slid into the passenger seat.

"Cassie." Jake called. I smiled sweetly at him. He didn't return the look, he just stared at me as if trying to communicate every thought and feeling he had to me. I got it all. I'd live many lifetimes, thousands of years, had seen civilizations rise and crumbled, wars won and lost, and had thought I had seen and experienced all pain that the human condition could feel.

I had never seen the pain in Jacob's face reflected anywhere else. It looked like he was slowly, agonizingly, being ripped apart. His pain fed mine, until I felt as if I was burning up alive.

"We'll get through this Jacob." I whispered.

"I hope." He answered.

Echo was singing in the back seat when I climbed into the car, her voice permeated with so much sadness that my eyes instantly teared up. I noticed Leah was already crying quietly, her eyes pointed forward. The voice on the radio was singing the same song, but my Echo completely overpowered it, like the siren she was.

_Corner street societies_

_But they believe her_

_They never leave her_

_While she sings she make them feel things_

_She says, I can sing this song so blue_

_That you will cry in spite of you_

_Little wet tears on your baby's shoulder_

_Little wet tears on your baby's shoulder_


	29. Chapter 24: The Earth on Fire

**(AN) Mostly, this chapter is all Jacob/Cassie fluff. It's mostly flashbacks too. For example, the wedding flashback was the original epilogue to WWR. I always wanted to work it in somewhere :-) The story is ending, and the Earth is on fire. Oh noes! The song in this chapter is Fire by Augustana. Yes, it is officially Jake and Cassie's song.**

**Chapter 24: The Earth on Fire**

Every so often, my hands would tremble as white hot fire lashed its way down my spine. I felt like everything was in flames, the Earth on fire. I couldn't sit still, I kept on moving around, but there was nothing to be done. The house was clean and empty. I paced around, remaking the bed in our bedroom, but I didn't test myself to go into Blaze and Echo's rooms. So instead, I headed out to the backyard. The roses that Cassie had carefully, peacefully planted were starting to bloom. Their branches swung freely around in the cool breeze.

It was too easy to picture Cassie among the roses, some the same color of her hair and lips. I smiled and closed my eyes, absorbing the image fully. Remembering those happy things were soothing, like ice on sore muscles. I began to seek distraction in the back of my head.

_It didn't rain on our wedding, but it was cloudy. We had the ceremony at twilight, just as the clouds were turning pink and red. The tuxedo I was wearing was itchy and hot, but it was worth it when Cassie had seen me try it on and her whole face lit up. I would wear it everyday if she asked. _

_We hadn't been able to chose best man and maid of honor, so they all came in order of height. Quil escorted Leah down the aisle, Leah who looked almost normal when she smiled at Sam and Emily. After that came Embry and Lucy, Zack and Stella, and Alice and Jasper. The werewolves didn't seem to mind the unusual vampire presence, maybe it was because Sam and I were taking it in stride. Rosalie was off to the side, video taping everything. She said she wanted Bella to see it._

_Claire came next, her dark curls bouncing as she threw the flowers haphazardly down the aisle. She grinned and ran right to Quil, much to the adoration of the crowd. I shook my head in amusement and I heard a delighted laugh join the rest._

_Cassie had paused at the start of the aisle, but stood at the entrance to the small church, Billy's hand in hers. Her eyes flicked to mine and she smiled, a blush reddening her cheeks. _

_She was beautiful in the simple white dress that curved to her body, the silk white ribbon cinching her waist. Her hair was pinned up in dozens of little curls with real red roses twirled into them. They matched the rose petals on the ground and the ones in her bouquet. Billy slowly began to wheel down the aisle, Cassie's hand on his shoulder. I wanted to smile at my father, to thank him, but I couldn't for the life of me rip my eyes away from Cassie._

_Finally, Billy stopped in front of me, taking Cassie's hand in his and carefully placing it in mine. He looked up at both of us with a smug smile. Cassie knelt down, kissing his cheek as he skillfully rolled away. _

_Cassie took both my hands and squeezed them lightly. I beamed at her. "Hey you." She whispered with a small smile. _

_"Hey." I said back, stunned. The minister began to recite the ceremony. It was standard, classic, just like my Cassie. I stuttered over my vows like an idiot, I could hear Quil and Embry quietly chuckling. When it was Cassie's turn, she took a deep composed breath._

_"Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you." She began musically. "For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And when you die, I will die. For not even death, nor any evil or sickness, could ever separate my soul from yours. I promise to be your wife through the end of eternity, and evermore." She said slowly, enunciating each word as she stared into my eyes. I felt my skin grow hot._

_"That's what he meant to say." Quil murmured softly. Fever burned in my veins as I listened to her, gently stroking her fingers in mine. The minister said something else that I really didn't pay attention to, then Quil nudged me and pressed the ring into my open palm. _

_"I give this ring as my gift to you. Wear it and think of me and know that I love you till time ends." I said, easier now, because it was drawing to an end. Cassie pledged the same thing as she slipped her ring onto my finger._

_The minister talked some more. I had to fight not to roll my eyes, but it was easy to get entranced by Cassie, the way her skin blushed hot, her eyes sparkled with tears. _

_"I pronounce you man and wife." The minister finally finished. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to wait for permission to kiss the bride, because I didn't. My lips molded to hers seamlessly, because we were made for each other. We kissed for far too long, and Quil never let me forget it. _

_Pictures were done quickly because Cassie could tell I wanted to ditch most of the tux and bury it. Quil and Embry made a few inappropriate toasts at the reception, and Stella (who had the alcohol tolerance of a hummingbird) was slightly tipsy before we even started dancing. Cassie was giggling as she dragged me onto the dance floor, slipping her arms around me as we twirled to our song._

_No it don't come easy_

_No it don't come fast_

_Lock me up inside your garden_

_Take me to the riverside_

_"I love you." I whispered, nuzzling the small curl that had escaped from her hair and had been driving me crazy. _

_Fire burning me up_

_Desire taking me so much higher_

_And leaving me whole_

_"You must." She said gently, her fingers tracing my face as she stared into my eyes. "I love you too."_

_There you are in your black dress_

_Moving slow to the sadness_

_I could watch you dance for hours_

_I could take you by my side_

_There was only one thing I would never forget about that night, and that was just the knowledge that she was mine. The steady presence, the way she looked for me whenever we were separated by friends and family, the smile that would light up her face when she saw me as I slowly ditched pieces of my tuxedo everywhere._

_Fire burning me up_

_Desire taking me so much higher_

_And leaving me…_

_Fire, turning me on_

_Desire taking me so much higher_

_And leaving me whole_

_Time passed. Cassie finished school, we were finally making enough money to break even in the shop. That's where she found me one day. I smelled her before I heard her, sitting up quickly and banging my head off the fender I was working on._

_"Oh!" Cassie cried, kneeling down beside me. Embry stifled a laugh. I reached up and rubbed my forehead, pulling my hand back to see it covered in red._

_"Merde! Jake!" She swore. "Quil, hand me a towel."_

_"I love it when you swear in French, Cass. It's real classy." Quil said as he threw the towel at her. She caught it skillfully and began to mop up the blood._

_"Petit con." She murmured resentfully under her breath as she looked at Quil. _

_"Hey now, I don't know what that one means. Do you know what that means?" He asked me. I shrugged._

_"I'm fine, Cass. Just a little blood." I soothed. I couldn't even feel it anymore. She pouted, kissing me gently._

_"I'm sorry for surprising you." She whispered softly._

_"I love it when you surprise me." I admitted with a grin. "I was just over excited to see you." _

_"Well, let's get you away from things that can injure you before I tell you why I'm here." She said with a smile. I opened the car door next to me, motioning her in. She laughed, slipping into the backseat. I climbed in after her._

_"Is this Mike Newton's car?" She asked, looking around. I nodded._

_"If you do start doing it I'm going to videotape it!" Embry yelled. I flicked him off._

_"It would be the most action Mike Newton's car has ever seen." Quil mumbled. I snickered._

_"Hey, pay attention to me!" Cassie demanded, poking me in the ribs. I leaned back, watching her intensely. _

_"So…" Cassie started. "Guess what?"_

_"We won the lottery?" I guessed._

_"Better." Cassie said, leaning closer to me._

_"You won stock in Victoria's Secret." She glared at me playfully. "Now come on, that is better than the lottery." _

_"Not that I need sexy lingerie anyway." She huffed. "Because we're pregnant." _

_I froze in disbelief, a lingering smile on my face. Quil and Embry weren't so frozen, they were at the door immediately, pulling Cassie from the car and giving her big bear hugs, laughing and making predictions, boy or girl, wolf or witch. Cassie laughed, her eyes anxiously glued to mine. Slowly, I began to unfreeze and I crawled out of the car, pulling her close to me._

_"We're having a baby?" I repeated. She nodded. _

_"Yeah. A beautiful baby." She whispered almost sadly as she traced her fingers over her stomach. I kissed her passionately, then._

_Nine months later, I was holding a precious, tiny baby girl that I loved more than I knew was possible. _

_"She's a beauty, Jake." Billy cooed as held her in his wrinkly arms. "Pretty as Cassie." _

_"Yeah." I sighed in happiness, brushing back a dark strand of hair from her head. _

_"You know what they say." Cassie teased, her eyes dancing. "The father of a daughter is nothing but a high class hostage. All she's got to do when she's older is toss an arm around you and say 'Daddy…'"_

_"It's true son." Billy predicted soberly. "And what till she's all grown…the pests she'll attract." _

_"Lucky I am strong enough to rip a phone book in half then." I joked, kissing her forehead._

_"Poor kid." Cassie lamented. It was funny how she reacted when Leah imprinted on Blaze two and a half years later. _

_It was the middle of the night and Cassie had finally fallen asleep in the rickety hospital bed. Blaze was sleeping as well in his crib. Billy was watching Echo, which was good, the hospital bed was not very comfortable._

_"Hey." Someone whispered, peeking in. I smiled at Leah's voice. "Can I come in?"_

_"Of course. How was patrol?" I asked. She rolled her eyes._

_"Long. How's my favorite mommy and little Jake Jr.?" She asked with a laugh, walking into the room. _

_"The mommy is tired. She just fell asleep so be quiet. His name is William, William Blaze Black. We've been calling him Blaze. I don't think Echo realizes he has a first name." I explained. Leah smiled, leaning over the crib and gently stroking Blaze's cheek. _

_The baby made a soft cry, more like a coo, and stretched. Leah made some sort of girly noise of her own. _

_"Oh Jake, he looks like Cassie." Leah crowed. _

_"Yeah, he's got his mom's eyes too…Look, see!" I said triumphantly as his eyes opened, looking up above him. I gave him one of my fingers to hold._

_"He's really quiet, barely cried at all when Echo was here, and you know how exuberant she is." I said proudly. Silence answered me. I turned to Leah in confusion._

_Her face had melted, her eyes had lost any trace of defensiveness and bitterness. She reached out, her fingers a gentle breeze as she stroked his hair. I could literally see weights dropping from Leah's shoulders as she looked at my son. I knew that look._

_"Leah…" I said softly, shaking her shoulder. When she looked up, her face was absolutely glowing._

_"He's perfect." She whispered. "He's…"_

_"Your gravity." I finished, looking over my shoulder at Cassie. "She's going to murder you. That's her boy."_

_"I'll convince her. It's meant to be, Jake. I'll be whatever he needs." She said, determined. I believed her._

I was stirred out of my daydreams as a car pulled up front. I could hear familiar rhythmic footsteps coming to the backyard. As Cassie came around the corner of the house, I pulled her tear stained face close to me. She smelled like cigarette smoke, but I didn't care.

Our lives shouldn't end here. There were more memories to be made, more of our lives to be lived.

"Tomorrow night. They're coming tomorrow night." She croaked against my chest. I took a deep breath.

"We'll be ready. We'll make it." I promised, lowering my lips to hers. Because at that moment, I needed her more than air or water. I needed her more than anything in the world.

_"Don't ever leave me, Jacob. I love you. I'll be your everything."_

"_You already are."_


	30. Chapter 25: The Pure

**(AN) I like this chapter. Pretty heavy though, but it's very pretty and hopeful. It like it for that reason, if for nothing else. Also, since I know I've been giving you guys nothing but sad chapters for the last three or four, there's some bonus quotes from the sequel down at the bottom.**

**Chapter 25: The Pure**

We didn't need to talk. No words between us could make it different, change how we felt. I was warm right now, safe in Jacobs's arms as we lay on the bed and watched our last days of peace tick past, measuring time by the way the sun moved over us. I could tell Jacob's thoughts from the way his eyes would move. He was thinking about the pack when his eyes drifted out the window, our kids when his eyes would move to the walls around us, looking toward either Echo or Blaze's room. His hand would drift across my stomach sometimes, that's when he was thinking about his soon to be youngest daughter, but most of the time, he just stared into my eyes and gently played with my hair.

I felt Jezebel as she entered the house and bypassed Zack and Stella, I was pretty sure they were both asleep anyway. She climbed the stairs quietly and slipped down the hall, pausing hesitantly in the doorframe.

"Come in Jezz." Jacob said with a yawn, his voice rough as gravel. I smiled softly at her as she crossed the threshold, sitting down at my window and pulling her knees up to her chin.

"I was lonely." She explained. We both nodded in unison.

"You can stay as long as you like." I whispered. Jezebel smiled sweetly.

"Thank you." She said fervently. We drifted into silence once more. It began to rain outside.

"What was it like?" I asked drowsily. "In the beginning of the world, Jezebel, what was it like?"

"Quiet." Jezebel answered with a smile. "I wasn't there at the very beginning. I came about twenty years later."

"Why?" Jake asked, propping himself up on his elbow, interested despite himself.

"Dorie wanted a companion, someone she could love and be loved by. She pined over it. So…God, or whatever you call it, made me. She was the Alpha, I was the Beta. Version 2."

"Have you met God?" I asked, my head producing pictures. Jezebel smiled.

"Everyone has met God. God is a little piece inside of all of us. It's how we love, that's what God has given us, that gift."

"That's a nice thought." I murmured. I tilted my head to the side, leaning against Jacob's warm chest.

"The world was so beautiful then. Bright…" She whispered, her voice spinning webs of fantasy over everything I knew. The paradise she was describing was hauntingly familiar to me, because when she described it, I saw La Push.

Maybe that's all paradise was, was knowing where you were loved. It was knowing where your home was, where you could always come back to. I reached for Jake's hand, squeezing it, as we fell into a comfortable silence. Jacob eventually drifted off to sleep, lightly snoring in my ear. Eventually, I fell asleep too.

And in my sleep, I dreamed.

"_Mom!" Someone yelled, "Mom!" _

_I moved sluggishly through my dream, that deep maternal pull dragging me forward, but it was like moving through jell-o. The child yelled again, crying out. _

"_Echo!" I yelled out, dodging through the forest. I still wasn't moving fast enough. "Blaze! Delilah!" _

"_Mommy!" I could make out the voice now, a little girl. I pushed myself harder, breaking through the trees. It was dark, a heavy fog covered everything, but I could see two dark shapes in front of me. I ran toward them, suddenly stopping as I caught sight of them._

_The child shifted, never the same one for more than a second. First it was Echo, her skin like dusted gold, her hair a tangled mess. Then it was Blaze, his face streaked with tears, violet eyes blood shot. After that, it switched to Delilah as the little red headed girl I'd dreamed of ages ago and finally it became Eva, her skin bruised and flushed. _

_The man holding them never changed. His eyes were fixed on mine in a stare that still scared me, after all this time. I tried to bring the fire to my skin, but it resisted. I took a deep panicky breath as the man let the child go, now in the form of my Echo, and she stumbled into my arms. I dragged her behind me as I watched Mabon's skin fall from him, and out of him stepped Pandora._

_She smirked, reaching out for me. I couldn't run, I couldn't hide, and there was no help. Her hand reached for my heart, as if to rip it from my chest and destroy me forever._

"_Echo, run." I whispered. _

"_No, I'm not afraid." She protested, taking my hand. My panic mounted._

"_Please." I begged Pandora. "Just let us alone."_

"_I can't." Pandora whispered. Then she was gone, and I was behind someone else. It took me a few minutes before I realized who it was, but the curly dark hair was so familiar. I touched her shoulder._

"_Jezebel…" I said softly. She turned to look at me, her eyes flashing as she took my face in her cool hands. _

"_And neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons down under the sea, can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful…" She whispered, cut off with a gasp as an icy cold hand broke through her chest, showering me with blood. I knelt down quickly, covering Echo's eyes with my body as I turned to look at her as she fell to the ground._

I awoke with a start, a scream bubbling in my throat that almost broke free, just barely choked back. I took a deep breath, looking around. Jezebel was still at the window, she turned to me as I woke up, her eyes worried.

"Are you alright?" She asked. I took a deep breath. I didn't know why it hadn't occurred to me before, but it made so much sense. Jezebel, the most powerful witch in the entire world, might be the only one with the ability to save us from the Volturi and significantly delay Pandora's wrath. I hadn't consciously recognized it, but apparently my subconscious had.

But to do so, she might need to die. Tears pricked my eyes as I slipped out of bed from underneath Jacob's arms, going to her side. Her cool hand rose to my face, touching my cheek in a way that was quite motherly. I couldn't help the hot tear that scalded my cheek as it fell.

"You." I whispered. She smiled softly.

"Just me." She reassured. "Go back to sleep, Beltane."

"No." I said as I sat down next to her. "You…you could save us."

"Could I?" She asked. There was something new in her eyes now, a fierce determination.

"But you might die." I choked out, taking her hands in mine. "I don't…"

"If it's me or your children, me or your sister, me or your wolf, you would choose them anytime." Jezebel said softly as she kissed my forehead. "And I would let you, because I'm your mother, Beltane. It's about time I did something right by you."

"I don't want to lose you!" I protested. "I just…I just got to understand you! There's still time…"

"My decision is made." Jezebel said softly, laying her head against mine. Her tainted eyes looked into my own and she sighed. "You were the greatest thing I ever did in this world. When I summoned you, I think I gave you all the love I had left, all the energy I had, to you and Bella. Cassandra…if I should die…for you and yours, then it will be worth it. Because there is a hope that this will someday be over. That hope does not live in me, but it is home in every single beat of your children's hearts and every breath you take. Because of your Delilah, the future is already changing."

Another tear dropped down my face, carving its way over my skin. Jezebel didn't move, but she closed her eyes, as if digesting the fact that she had just declared her death wish. When her eyes opened again, they nearly astonished me with their determination.

"This is how I know it will be alright, lovely Beltane." Jezebel said, pulling away and gesturing toward the window. I looked outside. There was a streak of red in the back yard, Delilah. I paused as I looked at her. Her eyes were on the stars as a gentle rain fell on her face. She seemed to pulse in the night, as if she lit up the whole world just by existing. Slowly, she smiled.

Then, suddenly, fire whipped up around her wrists. Fire that was much brighter than mine, that made the whole world seem like daylight had come. I sucked in a shocked breath, pressing my hand against the glass. When she opened her eyes, they were no longer violet, but radiating a brilliant white light.

"Beautiful." Jezebel murmured. I had to agree. She was a human candle, a shining beacon in the darkness. Jezebel squeezed my hand as we watched Delilah burn.

"We will be remembered because we lit the world on fire." She stated as Delilah finally stopped burning, disappearing back into the house. "And then we sat back and watched it burn away."

"I think it should burn." I murmured. "Because at least while it's burning, there's a little bit of light."

"That's my girl." Jezebel said fondly. "Now, go back to sleep. What happens, happens. It is a blessing to die for a cause, at the very least. So many people die for absolutely nothing."

"What happens if the darkness…if Pandora tries to take you?" I asked as she dragged me up and settled me back into bed. I was reluctant to let go of her. She knelt down to my level.

"I trust she would never let something happen to me that I did not want. In fact, I'm counting on it." She said softly, kissing my forehead. "Sleep."

And, despite the fact that I did not want to, I did fall asleep. I slept like the dead, with no dreams or fears. I think there was something supernatural about it, because even Jacob moving in the morning didn't wake me up. I slept till almost noon.

"Mom." Delilah's voice finally broke through my sleep, dragging me out of it. She shook my shoulder as gently as she could. "Mom, dad's starting to worry."

"Liley." I murmured. "What time is it?"

"A little past noon. Dad's cooking." She wrinkled her nose at that thought, looking worried down the stairs. I giggled softly.

"Are you frightened?" I asked, examining her face. She smiled.

"Of the Volturi? No." She stretched. "I've faced far worse than a bunch of old vampires."

"Why were you burning last night?" I asked drowsily. She blushed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to get some excess energy out of my system. Too much excitement." She apologized. I just smiled and shook my head.

"Where's Jezebel?" I asked after a moment. Delilah pointed downstairs.

"Sleeping on the couch, she crashed there as soon as I got up, actually. She hasn't woken up yet either, but I think she was awake all night."

"Probably." I agreed. That was when I noticed the ring on Delilah's finger. My brow furrowed.

"When did you get that?" I asked, pulling her hand out in front of me. She smiled softly.

"I had it when I got here. I told you I was engaged." She stated. I wanted to argue with her, tell her that she certainly had not been wearing this when she first got here, I would have noticed it right away. It wasn't a big pretentious thing, more delicate like she was, with a smooth center oval stone and two tear drops on either side, only about a carat weight.

"Oh." I murmured, looking at it and that out the window. The future _was_ changing. Delilah, who had come back with the sole purpose of changing it, seemed to be ignorant to what was happening, all her memories slowly changing into different ones. I wondered if she would eventually notice.

I kind of hope she never did.

**Bonus Quotes:**

"**You're not going to go all Carrie on me, are you, E? 'Cause you could **_**probably**_** kick my ass, and Tyler would never let me live down getting beat up in the cafeteria by a girl." – Daniel (Jared and Kim's son)**

"**I could even be a secretary. I mean, they just answer the phones and look pretty, right? I'm **_**kinda**_** pretty. I mean, I can dress up for it." – Echo**

"**No, I want you to stay, but I won't ask you too. I'm selfish enough as it is without chaining you up too." – Eva**

"**Pretty girls with sad faces always have trouble on their heels. What's your story, 'cause I don't want no trouble showin' up here no matter how pretty you are." – Mark Ford**


	31. Chapter 26: You Can Never Look Back

**(AN) Aaah! Hope you like this! The song is Viva La Vida by Coldplay, it's the theme song of EoF**

**Chapter 26: You Can Never Look Back**

_I used to roll the dice_

_Feel the fear in my enemies' eyes_

_Listen as the crowd would sing:_

_"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"_

_One minute I held the key_

_Next the walls were closed on me_

_And I discovered that my castles stand_

_Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand_

The day was a blur. Was it one day, or twenty? Pieces of my life seemed to flick in and out of focus. Cassie in a white dress, Echo in the ocean, Blaze and Leah in the hospital, Eva looking straight at Paul like she knew him, Cassie bleeding, Bella (human) like a zombie, and a vampire crushing me to death all blended until they were indistinguishable.

"They're coming soon." Alice said softly. We stood together in the open field, the cool spring breeze stirring the different scents, vampire, human, and wolf. It was dizzying, so I tried to concentrate on the scent closest to me, Cassie's. Her hand was rested lightly on my shoulder, more to keep herself steady I guessed. Her lips were pressed in a thin line and she looked paler than usual, her hand fluttering above her stomach. I almost wanted to think she was beginning to see sense, but it was too late now. It was more dangerous to send her away on her own. I nuzzled her hand softly. She smiled, kissing my fur lightly.

"It'll be okay Jake." She whispered. I snorted, looking out over our pack. We'd hidden our families best we could, as Cassie predicted, the rest of the guy's wives hadn't wanted to leave. They sent their kids off to relatives, as far or near as they could and bunkered down at home.

_Do me a favor, someone. _I whispered in my head. Nobody looked at me, but they all heard me. _If this starts to go south…someone get her out of here. _My thoughts flashed to Cassie immediately.

_We'll try. _Everyone murmured at once. I saw eyes slide worried to her, saw how she looked in everyone's eyes. The thoughts there were grim, but luckily they saw something in the slim girl next to her that I was incapable of seeing.

The way they saw Delilah was almost hopeful. She looked strong, standing an inch or two taller than Cassie, her eyes determined and fierce. She was a warrior in old blue jeans, but all I could see her as was my youngest daughter, who wasn't even born yet and had to fight for the right to survive.

"Here they come." Bella said softly, reaching out to grasp Delilah's hand. "Wait, Liley, until they charge, then throw up your shield. They might hesitate, might reconsider when they see Cassie is still here." She said it almost hopefully. I saw Jezebel's frown deepen. It wasn't going to end that easily.

The Volturi quickly fanned out, all of them, they needed everyone to take down this pack and the Cullens, the witches. Zack and Stella reached for each other, Paul was behind them. He touched their hands with his nose supportively. There was one shining image for him, a golden thread of hope woven through everything. Eva had said she would come back soon, that meant something to him.

I wish I could say I took as much comfort in her. The Volturi stopped, outnumbering us, glaring at us, but I saw their eyes flick warily over Cassie. She'd be a target once the fighting started, and she didn't even have any powers.

"Carlisle. A grave betrayal you've done. Allowing a wolf and witch to live. More than one of each, apparently." Aro said solemnly as he stepped forward. I growled. "My old friend, how could you?"

"They are our family, Aro." Carlisle defended. "They mean you no harm. The witches have left their coven and wish to lead peaceful lives."

"But your son has broken the most basic rule, Carlisle. I assume you are the lovely Beltane?" He asked my wife. She nodded, her hand tightening in my fur. His eyes then turned to Bella, boring into her. "Then you must be her sister, Ostara. I didn't make the connection until I heard about Beltane, but why else would the Cullens take such a risk to protect a witch? You should have been destroyed immediately, Bella. You should never have been changed." Aro stated.

"Which is what I advocated in the first place." Caius pointed out. Cassie reached out, grabbing Bella's arm. Edward let out a low feral growl.

"Never. Bella is a vampire now." He spit out. I nodded emphatically.

"Would you leave then, if I was gone?" Bella asked. I turned my head in shock. Classic martyr syndrome, typical Bella.

"Of course darling." Aro said. Cassie's grip tightened on Bella's granite arm.

"You know they won't. Don't you dare Bella." She hissed. "They're not going to leave until they take down all of us."

"Bella." Edward pleaded.

_For the love of God Bells…_ Seth swore.

"Girls." Jezebel whispered, moving past them. "Behave and be good."

"Jezebel." Cassie said softly. "Please..don't."

"I must." She smiled. "This is my chance for salvation, remember dear? The world is spinning and we stand here or fall, struggle through a dark plain. This is the moment of truth among the lies and the closest to right I'll ever be." She placed a hand on Bella's face, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, I should have done this sooner."

"No, this isn't right." Delilah murmured, her eyes glassy. Jezebel turned her bright gaze to her, raising an eyebrow.

"This is _right._ The world I knew no longer exists, the time I've lost I will never be able to find again. There is no chance for the life I was supposed to share to be ours anymore. I am an ancient relic. I don't belong here." Jezebel soothed. "You're so brave, Delilah. You've changed things. Let them change. Don't let darkness overcome."

And with that, she stepped out of our group, her long curls blowing in the wind. She was wearing white, a little dress that glowed against her pale skin. She wasn't wearing shoes, I hadn't noticed that before. She looked like a goddess.

She was a goddess.

The wind picked up, gusting all around us, but even though it blew through my fur, it didn't touch her. "Leave." She commanded the army in front of us. "If you wish to survive, leave."

"You're in no risk of harm." Aro said gently, like talking to a child. Jezebel smirked.

"It's not me I'm worried about." Jezebel replied. "If I wished to survive, I could, but what is life without love?" She pondered. "Marcus knows what that's like."

"Don't speak of what you don't know." Aro threatened. Jezebel was dancing closer to the vampires, her steps sure. I didn't know if I could move if I wanted to.

"Of the coward you are? That you killed your sister to save your power? Doesn't that make you the lowest of the low?" Jezebel taunted, stopping right in front of Aro. "Doesn't anyone know that?"

It happened so fast, I don't even know if Alice had time to see it. Marcus turned to Aro, his face astonished, but Aro wasn't looking at him. Aro's arm reached out, pushing through Jezebel's too fragile chest. I heard the bones shatter and break, because with all that power coursing through her veins, Jezebel didn't make a move to defend herself as Aro crushed her heart.

Cassie screamed, her hands flying to her mouth automatically. Delilah's eyes closed and the pack tensed, ready to attack, to defend. We didn't even get to move before the sky crackled and split, lighting jumping along the ground. We recoiled in confusion, Edward snatching Bella around the waist. I jumped in front of Cassie and Lilah.

"NO!" Someone screeched. There was a figure in the clearing now, the pack could only catch glimpses of her, because the entire world seemed to be darker now. We could barely make out the vampires across the field. There was darkness with one exception, Cassie's skin glowed luminous, but Delilah managed actually push the darkness away with the light she radiated. With that light, I could see Pandora in the middle of the field.

"What is she doing?" Edward yelled to Delilah. She was frozen, her eyes wide in shock.

"Killing." She managed to whisper. Blackness was pouring from Pandora's skin. It spread quickly, over the field. It was coming at us like a flood, a roaring tidal wave. Something stretched over me quickly, something that pulsed and sparked like a living thing. The blackness hit it and could go no further. I noticed that Delilah had her hand out, that the shield seemed to be pulsing with her heartbeat.

"That's handy." Emmett said as we gathered closer together. We could hear screams and screeching, sounds of pain from the other side of the shield, but I couldn't see anything. My hackles raised and my teeth were bared, a near steady growl coming from my throat. Slowly, it became quiet.

"Is she done?" Edward asked for me. Delilah shook her head.

"No…not…" She began, and then the darkness dissipated as a roaring fire, thick with smoke, could be seen through the darkness, a figure holding another in front of it, coming closer to us every minute.

"DELILAH!" The figure yelled as the darkness disappeared. My daughter didn't drop her shield for a moment, her eyes cautious. Pandora gently, tenderly, placed Jezebel's body on the ground. I noticed that the darkness hadn't receded from her once pale skin. It was as if someone had tossed ink over her.

"Delilah!" Pandora yelled again, instantly appearing on the other side of the shield, her eyes wild and panicked. The shield pulsed quickly. "Please, Delilah…" Pandora said, silky smooth. "I need you, I need you to save her…"

"I am not a murderer." Delilah whispered. "I am not…"

"Don't deny what you are. You, above all, know that darkness is very real, that it lives inside each and every one of us, and sometimes it wins. Are you willing to sacrifice one more person to it?" Pandora asked, her eyes blazing.

"What's in it for me?" Delilah said slowly, her eyes flicking to Jezebel's body.

"Your useless life!" Pandora screeched, tossing a mound of black energy at the shield. It didn't even buckle.

"My life isn't worth much, is it? In my future, there were times I'd rather be dead. So why not just end my life now, before it even begins?" She posed a question. "I want you to go, after this, and leave us alone forever."

"So that you can someday come with your brood and kill me yourself?" Pandora questioned. "Prevent me from ever fixing the world? I can still fix this, bring back Jezebel and Adam, seal away the darkness after I'm done…"

"Then give me something!" Delilah pleaded. There was silence as they both glared at each other. Something in the corner of my eye moved. I turned to look at it as the darkness slowly melted away from Jezebel's body. Everyone else followed my gaze, even Pandora and Delilah. Jezebel's fingers twitched.

My heart stopped beating for a second as I watched Jezebel move. She'd been dead, there was no way she survived that blow.

"Tainted." Bella whispered. "The taint…it's just been waiting for her life to give out to completely take over." Jezebel seemed to react to those words, slowly standing, framed by the smoky fire. She stretched out her skin, paler than marble now, her venomous red eyes glowing behind lustrous curls. Pandora turned back to Delilah, desperate now.

"She didn't want this." Pandora whispered softly. "I didn't want this, I wanted her to chose me, not be forced into it."

"Fix it yourself." Delilah offered.

"I can't." Pandora moaned, looking into Delilah's eyes. Delilah winced away as Jezebel intruded on her mind again.

"She found her soulmate, your sister." Pandora spoke quickly. "But she didn't have time to realize she loved him. I won't attack until after she does. You believed that would change the battle, didn't you?" Pandora questioned. Liley hesistated, looking at Jezebel as she walked smoothly forward.

"You won't go back on your word?" Delilah questioned.

"You know I can't." Pandora seethed. "Just do this!"

"Love." Jezebel called, her voice high and trilling as she wrapped her arms around Pandora, her crimson eyes burning into ours with unfamiliarity. "What is this? It hums and sings." She asked. Pandora looked anguished. Delilah took a deep breath.

"I'm dropping the shield. I can't concentrate with it up." She declared. "You need to stand back."

"And leave you to fight this alone?" Bella asked, concerned. "You're just a chi…"

"No, I'm not." Delilah interrupted. "I fought my first battle when I was thirteen. I can't remember if I won or lost anymore, but that's beside the point. I was a child when I fought then, but I'm not a child now. Not by any means. You all cannot fight this. Mom could, but she's kinda gotta give birth to me soon if you want to live to see your grandkids."

_Back._ I ordered. Slowly, we began to fall away. I nudged Delilah's hand before I finally left. For some reason, I believed in her, the sheer strength of will.

The shield shuddered.

And then it dropped.


	32. Interlude: The Burning

**(AN) Back to Delilah's future! Except everyone's in limbo, or maybe they're all crazy. They sure as hell don't know right now. :-) Older Blaze's POV. **

**Interlude: The Burning**

I wasn't quite as aware of myself as I was supposed to be. I felt like…something had changed, like I was missing very vital parts of myself. I looked at the ground, expecting to see various entrails strewn about. There was nothing, so I looked for a more spiritual part of me.

_Leah._ I called, circling around.

_I'm right here. I feel the same way._ She answered softly, nudging my shoulder with her muzzle. _Kind of like…I'm blurry._

Blurry was a good adjective. I felt like I had simply fallen away from myself, so I hadn't even noticed that somehow, impossibly, we'd moved. Leah noticed it first, a surprised growl coming from her throat. We'd been in the dark forests of the northeast, I thought. We hadn't been human for a long time. Now, somehow, I was back in La Push. In the graveyard.

_Fuck! _I swore, jumping partially in front of Leah. That annoyed her and worried her at the same time. I felt bad about it, but worse because Leah was very much potentially in danger right now, and I would not let anything happen to her.

_Blaze, I'm a big girl. If we're going to be technical... _

_I know, you're older. I'm stronger, Lela. Please…be careful. _I begged. She sighed, moving closer to me so we were shoulder to shoulder. She stuck her head underneath mine and looked out warily. This graveyard was different than the last time I visited, but it wasn't different in the way I would have expected. There were less tombstones…and as I watched more seemed to disappear.

_Holy shit…_ Leah cursed, confusion evident in her tone. _What's happening?_

"Blaze?" A voice called from the fog. "Leah? Is that you? What are you doing here?"

_That's Eva._ Leah said softly, letting out a low howl, concern rippling for the little girl she thought of in her memory. The fog parted and she stumbled out, her face perfectly pale as the moon, eyes bright sparkling violet. There was a rose blush in her face, and for the first time in five years, she looked healthy. Paul was beside her, their hands intertwined.

"She did it." Eva whispered as she looked up at the sky. There were stars. When was the last time I'd seen stars?

_She?_ I asked in my mind, looking around. Another mind popped into mine, rife with concern, wild almost to the point of hysterics. Only one name seemed to exist in the mind of this wolf.

_Delilah. Delilah. Delilah._

"I think we're in limbo." Eva said softly as she curled into Paul's arms. "The world is rearranging itself…and we're stuck in the middle of it. I sent Delilah back to save us…because I was…was I dying?" She turned to Paul. He bit his lip, agony flashing across his eyes.

"I don't know." He answered.

"Are you ready?" A new voice asked, a woman with auburn hair slipping through the fog to our side. She was different, new, I'd never seen her before in my life. And yet, somehow, my mind kept seeing her, memories that were foggy. According to Eva, those memories were foggy because they weren't all the way formed yet. I felt as if I knew her, somehow though.

"Ready?" Paul questioned, his arms circling Eva. "Ready for what?"

The auburn hair girl blinked and then grinned. "Well, we can't let Delilah in the past, can we? Our family would be very, _very_ upset with us."

"Let's go." Another voice said, one so richly layered with music, that I would never forget it, even as my memories twisted and changed, blurred and solidified, as the world burned up the darkness that had covered it for too long. The black wolf with white tips on his ears appeared from the south, the one that was panicking without Delilah. I tried to ignore him, his mind was too focused to touch ours anyway.

_Leah._ I said softly, touching my muzzle to hers so I could look into her eyes. I let every thought I'd ever had about her slowly flow, from my mind to hers. She was my mate, my best friend, my love, my twin flame, and so much more.

_I know. I've always known._ She whispered. _And if this ends, at least we're together. As always._

_As always._ I agreed.


	33. Chapter 27: Dawn

**(AN) Last chapter! Epilogue will be up tomorrow night maybe? Enjoy!**

**Chapter 27: Dawn**

"_Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."_

_-Anne Lamott_

I'd had this dream before somehow. That I was stuck, powerless, as I watched the people I love try and fight. Fight, and lose. Usually I watched Jake, sometimes it was Bella, less frequently it was everyone, the pack, the Cullens. This was far worse, because I was watching my youngest daughter fight. I'd never had this dream, although I was sure from this point on I probably would.

Jacob stood in front of me, half blocking my view of whatever was about to happen. I grasped onto his russet fur like a lifeline as Bella's cold stone arm circled my shoulders. Delilah's shield pulsed erratically for a few minutes, I imagined it was in response to her heartbeat picking up, before it shuddered and began to buckle, withdrawing seemingly back into her skin. And the second it finally disappeared, bright white flames danced over her pale skin.

Pandora was already gone, out of sight for my eyes, but I could still feel her. I wanted to ask Jake or Bella if they could still see her, but I couldn't make my mouth work right. Jezebel stood just across from the dancing flames.

"Sunshine, how I once longed for this." She said calmly, coolly. "To touch the fire, have it burn, feel skin crack and peel…but your mummy never did. Will your mummy cry when you're bleeding away?"

"Jezebel…you didn't want this." Delilah pleaded. "Just let go."

"I didn't know how it would _feel_. So much power…flooding, churning…I can see why your sister liked it."

"It's not right, Jezebel. You know it."

"Not right? Not right because it killed your daddy? He used to love to watch you draw, said you were just like mommy…he checked in on you after you went to bed _every_ night. You used to like to watch him teach your brother and sister to work on the cars…your brother and sister…they liked to blast their music across the house, she sang along, he would strum on his guitar…now the world is so quiet to you. Unbearable, isn't it, little Liley?"

Delilah didn't speak again after that, I could almost feel the heat coming off her intensify in anger as she struck with all the grace of a hawk, the flames scorching off her fist as she spun. Jezebel didn't get out of the way fast enough, and the flames met darkness for a brief second. A thick smoke filled the air as Jezebel pulled back, surprised.

Above her cheek bones, right below her eye, where there had once been perfect marble skin was a smoldering hole. The edges smoked, and darkness seemed to drip down her face, like worms from a dead body. I gasped in horror, stepping back. Delilah didn't even flinch.

"Don't talk about them like you knew them." Delilah whispered, but it carried. And in that voice, I could hear years of despair, of hate. "You didn't know them, neither of you did. You spent _years_ trying to figure out how to destroy us because you _knew_ we were good!"

"So pretty you are." Jezebel cooed as the darkness leaked down her face. "Like a little doll…perhaps I'll keep you forever…all cold and sparkly…"

And with that, the fight truly started. I couldn't follow it, all I could see was flashing fire, hissing noises, darkness around pale skin. I couldn't tell who was even winning, I know there was a few times when Bella would step forward, almost as if to help, before Edward would pull her back.

"Is she doing alright?" I asked Jake. A small whimper escaped his throat which only made me groan. Their fight was like some sort of intricate tango, dipping and sliding, blinking and twirling. And just like a tango, they were too close, too evenly matched, but Jezebel had eons of experience on her side. My Delilah was just a girl.

Suddenly, the tide changed. I don't know what happened, but I saw the flash of light thrown across the field, landing in between us and Jezebel. Jacob started forward immediately, but I knew he wasn't going to make it in time. Jezebel was already almost there.

"Bell…" I managed to utter, even though she was already moving too, in perfect time with Edward. Not fast enough, never fast enough. I was unable to even close my eyes.

Suddenly, the entire scene changed. The clearing wasn't so dark, it was full of light, coming from another person in the field. I saw Jacob stop in confusion as a wolf perched in front of Delilah. A wolf that was _huge_, bigger than Jacob by at least half a foot, bigger than most bears. Its fur was shaggy, vibrant red like my hair. Its muzzle was pulled back, exposing its teeth as it growled. And then, before my eyes, flames exploded from its body, more orange than white, but there none the less. Another wolf was behind it, also bigger than Jacob, but only by inches. He was black as coal, with white spots on his ears, and he was protectively perched over Delilah. Bella was back by my side instantly, grinning.

"What is _it?_" I asked, half in shock.

"I might be mistaken." Edward said softly. "But if we take into account his fur…his eyes…"

"They're violet, just like yours Cass."

"Not to mention his company." Edward nodded over to a small ragtag group away from the action. A small, sleek silver wolf with equally shaggy fur, a small waif like figure with a white hooded sweatshirt that hid her face with a gray wolf beside her that looked identical to the wolf behind Stella and Zack, another to the left of her in a black hooded sweatshirt that was taller with her face also hidden, and a figure behind her that reached out and touched the other girl's shoulders. I couldn't tell if the last figure was male or female, it was the same height as the girl in the black with the hood also pulled up.

"And according to his thoughts…" Edward finished. "Delilah is his baby sister."

"Blaze?" I asked, disbelieving. But somehow, it made sense. Because the flames leaping from the wolf's fur were so similar to mine, a part of me knew he was my son.

"The sword." I whispered. "Jezebel called him the sword, Delilah is the shield."

And sure enough, true to what Jezebel had said, Blaze leaped to attack while the small gray wolf to the side anxiously edged closer. I had thought Delilah a good warrior, but it was nothing to watching Blaze spin and attack. The figure beside the girl with the white hooded sweatshirt stepped forward and joined in the attack as well, her fire blazing the same color. It was almost unfair. There was no doubt to who was winning now. I closed my eyes for a second, and when I opened them again Jezebel was on her knees, her body missing pieces, smoke rising in the air.

"I know you." Jezebel whispered as the two figures came to a halt. She reached out for the girl in the black sweatshirt. "I remember you."

"Remember you, remember me." The girl responded, her voice musically calming, almost soothing. "I'm sorry, Jezebel."

The broken woman on the ground laughed, almost bitter. "You have to kill me now. The madness will come back. But it's okay, that's what I wanted."

"I know." The girl answered sadly. "I've always remembered you."

"I'm scared to die." Jezebel said dully, reaching out and taking her hand.

"I've heard it's not so bad." She said smoothly, kneeling down. "Close your eyes, I'll close mine too.

"Those who are about to die salute you…" Jezebel whispered as the flames danced up her arms from their linked hands.

"And those who live because you die, thank you." The girl whispered as the flames finally consumed the darkness. It stripped away the darkness first, burning it away. Jezebel closed her eyes.

"It's over for now." Bella whispered, as finally the skin turned to ash, and crumbled to the ground. The flames went out, and the darkness cleared away. It was dawn. The figures congregated around Delilah, who was sitting up, her face pressed against the black wolf's fur.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked, kneeling by Delilah. She nodded and a pale hand stroked her hair. The other person in a black hooded sweatshirt was handing out clothing, it looked like, to the wolves. When it handed a pair of sweatpants to the black wolf it snorted, looking pointedly down at Delilah in a way that said plainly he wasn't leaving her side for a long time.

Slowly, the rest of our group began to walk forward. Jacob dipped back to my side, brushing against me as we walked. By the time we had gotten there, the wolves that had changed were blending back into the circle. The tallest man there was clad only in a pair of cut off shorts, and when he saw us approaching he smiled, dimples popping out in his cheeks. Leah, still the same as I knew her, stood beside him, her hand clasped in his. His unruly auburn hair fell in his eyes when he walked out to meet us, bending over to kiss the top of my head.

"Hey mom." He said, his voice husky and gravely. "Missed you, and you old man."

"Red." Leah said softly, inclining her head. "Jake."

"How tall _are_ you?" I blurted out, still half in shock. Blaze blinked in confusion, then laughed.

"He's a freak of nature." Somebody answered. The girl who had destroyed Jezebel stood up, letting her hood slide down. Her dark hair spilled over everything. She wasn't looking at us, but rather at the ground. Blaze threw his free arm amicably over her shoulders.

"Echo." I mumbled, but it wasn't me that moved. Jake stepped forward, poking her shoulder with muzzle. She smiled, her violet eyes flicking up as she reached forward, tapping his head.

"Hey dad." She whispered. "Missed you lots."

"This is so…bizarre." Zack whispered. Echo nodded and the girl in the white stepped forward, her long blond hair flowing in the wind. She was smiling as she approached Zack, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, then throwing her arms around Stella.

"Eva…" Stella whispered. "You're beautiful."

"I take after my mom." The waifish girl answered, beaming up at Stella. Paul barked in surprise, taking a step back. This seemed to shock Eva too, as she did a double take.

"Oh, hello." She smiled. "Sorry you're stuck playing babysitter for so many odd years."

"I've always told her I didn't mind it. She never listens. Eva?" Another Paul asked, in human form. He didn't look different at all, except for a sort of wisdom in his eyes I couldn't quite give a name to. Eva skipped back to his side, snuggling into his chest.

"How did you guys know to come? Did the future change?" Delilah asked impatiently. They all looked back at her. The wolf had laid down now beside her, his head on her lap. She stroked behind his ears softly.

"Umm…we actually don't know. It's a little bit confusing." Blaze admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Confusing as in…we remember things that don't make sense. I remember the church burning…but then I remember being at Abby's wedding there two years later." Leah answered, turning to meet Delilah's eyes.

"I remember being really sick, I think I even remember dying, but then I remember picking out my wedding dress with my mom there." Eva whispered, her eyes flipping to Stella's.

"So, I didn't change anything?" Delilah asked mournfully.

"No, you changed a lot." Echo spit out immediately. "We don't know what the future is anymore, but at least now we have a fighting chance in it. The choices we'll make can determine our own future. We're just stuck in limbo right now because the future isn't finished being rewritten."

"Because you were brave, kiddo." Leah said with a smile. "Don't ever forget it."

"We have to go back now." Eva said softly, looking out at the dawn. "Before we change anything else. I liked some of my memories."

"Who is that?" I asked, pointing to the last figure that still remained off to the side with the hood up. Blaze laughed.

"We honestly don't know, but she's in limbo with us, so she's tied to us somehow. I like her, whoever she is." He admitted, turning away and offering Delilah a hand. Leah waited on the edge of the forest. Eva and Paul began to glide away, their hands intertwined. Echo paused, looking back at us.

"Are you all alone?" I blurted out. She smiled.

"No." She answered. "Sometimes I've been lonely, I'll concede that, but I've never been all alone. And if I end up the same way this time around…well, at least I know I've doomed myself."

And with that, they disappeared, to a future they didn't know. And life for Jacob and I didn't end in that field that day, nor did it end in the next month or year. We lived, the life inside of me grew until I could carry around my youngest child in my arms. Zack and Stella built a house less than a mile away, and my family watched our children grow together, stronger everyday. Throughout all of that, I had hope. Hope that even though I knew that nighttime was approaching, closer each day, that even though my children would fight, we would work and survive to see the dawn. That hope kept me strong, made me happy. Maybe that's why I didn't see Pandora again for over thirteen long years.


	34. Epilogue: Thirteen Years of Peace

**(AN) So, for the most part, Jake and Cassie's story is over. It's kind of bittersweet, because they've abandoned their fight to support their kids in theirs. This epilogue is from an older Echo's POV (I see her as maybe around twenty five in this), detailing the thirteen years of peace that Cassie talked about in the last chapter. I already posted the preface for the sequel! :-) It's titled War of the Roses (WotR for short).**

**Epilogue: Thirteen Years of Peace**

It's a standard conversation, but I _dread_ it. Maybe the deeper issue is that I don't like small talk, to fill the silence in the air with useless words about nothing. You're with someone new, a colleague, a classmate, a new friend, and they start asking questions. I have to remember to try to be _normal_, whatever that means. It starts off innocently enough, "Where are you from?"

How do I put into words where I'm from? Do they want the geography of the place? If I give them the name they'll never know where it is. Then I begin to think of hometown, the lush fairytale forest that always smelled like pine and wood, with huge guardian trees. I think of the rocky beach, the smell of the ocean, I think of my house… Do normal people think so highly of their home towns? Was mine different because it was so magical? "Oh, I'm from La Push. It's a Native Rez down on the Olympic Peninsula. My dad's native." I finally decide to say. That's normal enough, right? Then I ask a question, and sometimes I can let the other person talk for the rest of the time.

But then some people don't like to monopolize conversations, some people like to hear what you have to say. While, eventually, I end up liking those people more, it's easier to talk to the Monopolizers sometimes. The next question is usually about my parents. "Oh, that's really cool. Are your parents still together? Do they still live there? What are they like?"

Of course my parents are still together, is my gut reaction. In my head, I couldn't see them with anyone else. Maybe that's the normal response of a child, but even if I wasn't theirs, I still wouldn't think of them as anyone's but each other's. I also couldn't see them living anywhere else but my fairytale forest, like some part of them belonged to it as well. And then…trying to describe them? It's like trying to describe fire and earth, literally. My mother, beautiful as a rainbow, whose small delicate hands made mine feel rough and clumsy. Mom, who loved more passionately than anyone else I ever knew, whose spontaneity and creativity were the blessings of our household. I could remember her dragging us outside in the summer to dance in the warm rain storms. I could see her waking us up in the middle of the night to go to late night dinner and a movie. And my father…he'd let her do anything she wanted, he was nothing more than her willing slave. I remember how he smelled, woodsy, like camping. His arms were stronger than anything else, and so warm. I can remember his patient voice as I stood above the open hood of a car, his hands guiding mine. His strength and warmth were the perfect offset to Mom, a blend so much in harmony, that I couldn't even pick up where he left off and she began. "Oh, they're still together, madly in love like they're teenagers still. They're still there. Dad worked on cars, mom was an art teacher." I finally say. The conversation turns to them again, but eventually it always comes back to me.

"Do you have any siblings?" They'll ask and I'll smile. I have two, and a cousin that's more a sister. I'll think about them for a few seconds. Blaze, tall and strong, funny and carefree, running through the woods and letting out a whopping yell as he hit the icy water at the beach. Delilah, more my mom than anyone else, her cleverness and kindness undisputed while she toted her art supplies everywhere she went. Then there was Eva…my best friend, who would always follow beside me, her thoughts as good as gold toward everyone and everything. That wasn't even taking into account my pack, Tyler and Daniel, Abby, Emma, Joy, Dawn…we were all practically family. Then I had the bonus of having a bunch of aunt and uncles, even the Cullens, all cold, beautiful, and sparkling. My aunt Bella was my boon as an awkward teenager, always there to listen whenever I called, day or night. "Only two, and a cousin that lived nearby." I answer quickly.

"Sounds pretty awesome." The other person will finally say. I sigh and agree, but my mind is always somewhere else. My mind is on the twin graves, no bodies in either, behind my house that my mother visited all the time unless life was chaotic. They stood there throughout my entire childhood. One was inscribed Sarah, the older sister I would never have that my dad carved with beautiful flowers. The other was marked Jezebel, and I could remember her through foggy memories. Sometimes, I would bring them flowers, the white roses from Mom's garden. I would wrap the most around Sarah's marker, because for some reason, Jezebel's always had flowers on it. Perfect blood red roses at the foot and on top. I asked mom about it once and she just frowned and told me not to worry about it.

In my life, those two markers stood as silent reminders of things my parents had to sacrifice to the darkness. And it foreshadowed the sacrifices we would make to the same darkness.

Love

Life

Family

Millions of innocent strangers

What was the most important?


	35. Outtake: The Third Bar

**(AN) I wanted to put this at the end of EoF somewhere, but there was no place for it :-( sad times. More about our favorite lucky vampire! (See Chapter 17 if you need refreshed) **

**Outtake: The Third Bar**

_I find the map and draw a straight line_

_Over rivers, farms, and state lines_

_The distance from 'A' to where you'd be_

_It's only finger-lengths that I see_

_I touch the place where I'd find your face_

_My finger in creases of distant dark places_

I kept that song on my MP3 player. I listened to it at least three times a day, it seemed. I'd even downloaded the original version of the song, but I only listened to it once, and only halfway through. The original had nothing on the haunting, chilling quality of this version. A voice so distinctive, I would know it as soon as I found it again.

_I hang my coat up in the first bar_

_There is no peace that I've found so far_

_The laughter penetrates my silence_

_As drunken men find flaws in science_

For some reason, I kept looking for the person who sang it, even though I knew I wouldn't find her yet, even with my luck. I thought about her all the time, but I couldn't put a face to the sound. Was she a red head, like the girl who'd given me the CD? I couldn't picture her like that, or with blonde hair in tangled curls, even the many shades of brown hair didn't allow me to fantasize about them.

_Their words mostly noises_

_Ghosts with just voices_

_Your words in my memory_

_Are like music to me_

I went to bars, clubs, karaoke nights. I'd sit through each terrible, off key performance of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", desperately looking for that voice. I started drinking animal blood so I wouldn't have to worry about my eyes while I was among humans, and I also thought that she'd like that more, because whatever that voice was, I knew it wasn't a vampire. Would a witch care so much about a vampire? I thought not. It must be another witch.

_I'm miles from where you are,_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_I, I pray that something picks me up_

_And sets me down in your warm arms_

It was the melancholy in the voice that could hurt sometimes. When I concentrated on it, I could hear the sadness seeping from it, through time and space it seemed. Was this girl, strange and beautiful as she must be, singing to me, or about someone else? Did it matter? The thought of her singing to someone else with that much heart and soul made me _jealous_. I wanted her to be singing about finding me too, singing about how much she loved me. I wanted to be the one she thought of when this song came on the radio.

_After I have travelled so far_

_We'd set the fire to the third bar_

_We'd share each other like an island_

_Until exhausted, close our eyelids_

_And dreaming, pick up from_

_The last place we left off_

_Your soft skin is weeping_

_A joy you can't keep in_

Would she love me too? The first time she saw me, would she fall madly in love with me? Would I hear her sing, realize that she was everything I'd been looking for, and then realize that she would never love a monster like me? What if I hurt her? I couldn't bear to think of her lovely voice never singing again, a world without that music would be darker than eternal night, a black hole from which nothing could ever come to any good.

_I'm miles from where you are,_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_And I, I pray that something picks me up_

_And sets me down in your warm arms_

Years went past, with me existing somewhere between reality and an ever-changing, not accurate enough fantasy. Days passed without meaning, and I found myself wishing I could sleep, so I could dream of her wherever she was, whoever she was. I would find myself praying, praying that she was happy and healthy, that she was safe and warm. That when we met, I would find her whole.

_I'm miles from where you are,_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_And I, I pray that something picks me up_

_And sets me down in your warm arms_

The recording always left off the same way, a shuffling sound, like someone wiping tears off their face, then someone leaning closer to the microphone. The same musical voice, speaking this time.

"_Merry Christmas, Christian. I hope you liked it."_

Then there was more shuffling, and the recording clicked off, and I would feel a little part of myself peel off from the rest. If I hadn't known I could meet her, I would have killed myself to save myself the pain. So…I waited…

And thirteen years later, I followed the scent of vampires around Albany, New York, until I found the Cullens.

"Hi Christian!" The smallest yelled, dancing off the porch and stopping in front of me, her grin wide. The tallest followed her, his face marked by scars. It made me anxious. A male with copper colored her glared at me, then at the pixie-like one.

"Alice." He cautioned. "Jacob is going to…hell, I'm going to…"

"Don't start, it's just a possibility." Alice trilled back, turning to smile at me. "We've been waiting for you for _months_ now."

"Nice to meet you." The copper haired one's mate drifted forward, smiling. "Do you mind using the surname Cullen while you stay with us?"

"No." I answered quickly. "How did you know I was coming?" I asked. Alice smiled.

"Come inside, we'll tell you."

And I did. And I never looked back.

On the CD, she wrote my full name.

Christian James Moore Cullen


	36. Outtake: Fresh Graves

**(AN) Haha, so…when I wrote this interlude it was more like a whole chapter, but I couldn't post all of it because I didn't want to ruin Delilah/Isaac in WotR. Echo kicked Isaac's ass pretty bad last time they met, that's why he's all taped up :-p I reposted the whole thing, but only the first part is the part I never posted. For more explanation, see chapter 19 (Bonus Interlude: Fresh Graves)**

**Interlude: Fresh Graves, Walking Dead, and the Witness**

When I slept, which wasn't very often anymore, I could imagine the world was slightly better. I could imagine that we'd won the battle, and in my dreams my life was perfect. I dreamed of the life I should have had, the one where Isaac and I graduated high school and our parents were there to watch. My mom and dad, hand in hand, embracing me on my wedding day. I saw my friends, healthy and happy and so very full of life, the way I remembered them.

I saw children, beautiful lovely children. There were boys with Isaac's hair and my eyes, tackling each other in the grass, and sometimes there were girls, their red hair shining in the sun as they made daisy chains and threw them around each other. I didn't even just see the kids I could have had, but I saw the ones my family could have had. There was that little girl Eva had used to see in her dreams, the one with the blonde hair and tan skin. And the most haunting ones, the ones I couldn't explain, the boy and girl with curly hair the color of the night sky and skin paler than the moon. They had my sister's eyes, and they never had a hope of existing.

Eva didn't dream of that little girl anymore. But I still did. It was extremely unfair. And when I woke, I tried to hold onto those dreams as long as I could, squeezing my eyes shut and remembering their faces until tears leaked from my eyes. And then Isaac would hold me while my body shuddered with sobs. But when I woke up, I was too tired to even cry. I just stared blankly at the old blanket, the same one that had been here when I was a kid. This had been my parent's room.

I'd come in here to wake them up for Christmas, this blanket had been on their bed. They'd pretended to be asleep even as I chattered excitedly. Eventually Dad had let out a loud sigh and told me he'd get up when Echo and Blaze were up. I'd leaped out of the bed and ran down the hall.

"You didn't sleep well." Isaac whispered, shaking me from those sad, ghostly memories. I looked up and met his warm, worried brown eyes that were haunted by as many silent ghosts as mine were. His side was taped up, his left arm in a sling. His right was curled around me.

"You didn't sleep at all." I observed, running a finger lightly over his face, over the dark shadows under his eyes. He sighed but didn't argue. "What time is it?" I asked.

"I don't know. Noon, I think. Eva left around 3am and hasn't come back yet." Isaac whispered. We were silent as I let the implications of that run through my head. My eyes closed, and I had to struggle not to let the tears slip through.

"I miss Paul." I whispered harshly and I felt Isaac's arm tighten around me. The hole he'd left was tangible, a wound that pulsed raw and bloody. To Eva, Paul was her everything, the only thing that made her happy, but to us…he'd become something different. A father figure, when both our fathers were gone. We'd even gone so far as to call Evie and Paul "Mum and Dad". With Paul had gone the last link to our parents, the last link to our past.

"It's all over, isn't it?" Isaac asked darkly. "There's no hope left, Evie isn't strong enough to do this without Paul."

I paused for a moment, unsure. Do I tell him about Evie's plan, to send me instead? Was she even strong enough to do that? Chances were…she wasn't. We had failed horribly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "Sometimes I think I should have just let her kick the shit out of me. That might have made her feel better. She could have even killed me, I don't care."

"I care!" I protested, tears falling down my cheeks. "You're all I have left!" I quickly got up, sliding off the bed and wiping my tears on my sleeve.

"You could have a family, still." Isaac whispered. I glared at him.

"And then I would have wasted away like my mom, like your mom." I whispered bitterly. "That would have been preferable, I guess. I'm going to get Eva."

I turned on my heel, stalking toward the door. "Wait!" Isaac called, I turned to see him struggling to lift himself off the bed despite the bones Echo and Pandora had broken. I winced with his pain and was quickly by his side again, pushing him back down. His good arm grabbed my wrist.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "I…I just wish it didn't have to end like this. I wish we didn't have to give up hope. And every time you leave…I think that maybe you won't come back. That it'll be over, just like that. Ticking clock."

"I'll be back." I whispered, leaning over and kissing him. The tears slid down my cheeks and onto his. "I promise."

He sighed and sank back down into the bed, his hand holding mine. He didn't let go until he had to, closing his eyes with a look of agony. I bit my lip as I hopped down the stairs, grabbing Eva's bag on the way. I shoved my hands in my pocket as I walked out into the cold, dark fog. I paused halfway across my old yard, looking back into the house.

It was hopeless, I didn't even know why I was taking this bag. What were the chances I could change it, when I'd been the cause of the problem in the first place? I tossed it on the ground in frustration, pushing back my hair.

_Pick it back up, Delilah._ A voice urged. I ignored it, even as I felt the heat warming my back. _Delilah, you can't give up like this._

"Says my hallucination." I whispered. "You're not real." I turned to face it, the beautiful white wolf perched on the edge of the tree line, glowing much like I did. It looked almost hurt.

_I'm not alive. That doesn't mean I'm not real._ The wolf protested, loping closer to me. I took a deep shuddering breath, kicking the dirt.

"It's too late. We're too late." I murmured, walking away from the bag and toward the trees. The wolf growled and lunged at me. I didn't feel it touch me, it was weightless, but its paws were on my shoulders and I was somehow on the ground.

_Everybody is waiting on you, Delilah._ The wolf snarled angrily. _Make a move. I know you're brave enough to do it._

"I am not, get off me!" I swore a few times, trying to sit up. The wolf didn't budge and I couldn't move.

_Welcome to reality, Delilah. You could have that future. You still want it, don't you?_ I saw a flash of colors bloom in my head, my dad walking me down the aisle.

_Redemption is right here, I dare you to keep going. Somebody has to._ And then it was gone, her white fur just a dim memory in my mind. I stood slowly, brushing myself off. I looked up, and I could swear for a moment I saw stars. One last try, one last chance. I picked up the bag and kept walking, walking right to the graveyard. 

The personifications of darkness didn't come there. I imagined it was mostly due to Echo, to the raging guilt I imagined she felt. I imagined that somewhere deep inside her, she was still human, still my sister. I had to believe that, behind the glowing burgundy eyes and pale skin wrapped in layers of darkness, she loved us still.

It was almost no comfort.

My eyes stared blankly at the twin graves in front of me. I didn't need to read the inscription on the marble. I knew it by heart. Jacob Black, loving husband and devoted father on the first. Cassandra Black, loving wife and devoted mother on the other. In between the graves was a statue of an angel with a chain looped around her neck. I reached out and took the chain, listening as the rings clanged together musically.

"I'll bring these back to you, mom, dad." I whispered. They didn't answer. It was okay, I'd spent the last five years with the silence. I looked around the rest of the graves, the names assaulting me like they were flashing neon Vegas signs. Quil and Claire Ateara, Zack and Stella Luwen, Sam and Emily Uley, Embry and Lucy, Kim and Jared, Colin and Dawn, Brady, Abby Uley and Daniel, Jared and Kim's oldest son. His younger brother, Aaron, was a little further away. My best friend, their younger sister Joy, was still alive, but it was dangerous for me to be near her.

I was too bright. My light illuminated the fog around me. It was noon, but it was as dark as twilight. The sun never shined anywhere anymore. The world was covered in darkness that was slowly killing every human. Even Emma Uley was barely able to get out of bed anymore. Most of the pack was immune to it, which meant they had to pick us off one by one. I looked over to the cross shaped markers to the left of the pack. Every single Cullen was there, although they had no graves. I swallowed back my tears.

They could find Eva, Blaze, and I anywhere. So we kept to ourselves, because they wouldn't reach out and hurt us if they didn't have us. Some part of Echo still loved us.

Still barely any comfort in that.

I hadn't seen Blaze in awhile. Leah and he couldn't stay away from each other, despite how dangerous it was for Leah. So he'd broken off from us, knowing that without my brighter light, they had a better chance. I couldn't blame him. I wondered if they were still alive, or if I should mark empty graves as well for them.

I left my family's graves, walking over to the freshest one and the figured huddled in front of it. She rocked back and forth, her small body shaking with sobs, dirty, tangled golden hair hanging limply down her back.

The grave in front of her read simply _Paul Roy_. She couldn't think of an inscription appropriate. Her hands ripped up the fresh dirt and she trembled. In her hands she held a pair of golden rings.

"Eva?" I asked softly. "We should do this, before they come looking…"

"Where did you leave him?" She asked dully, not turning to look at me. I felt a stab of pain in my own chest, looking over at the forest.

"At the old house." I whispered. I'd left my love alone, hidden. He couldn't be here for this, too dangerous. I wasn't willing to lose him. "He'll come looking soon though. I told him I was just coming to get you."

"I should have lied to keep him safe too." She whispered, brokenly, caressing the cool marble. I slipped to her side, looking down at her.

She looked more dead than alive. She hadn't been well, the darkness was killing her slowly the same way it was killing Emma, but this had been the last straw. She should be lying in a grave beside him. Her once pale, cream and honey skin was gaunt and bruised, drawn thin over her protruding cheek bones. Despite the fact she was wearing fifteen layers, I could see the bones from her hips. Her heart beat was irregular, like it was struggling as well.

"He would never have stayed away, Evie." I tried to comfort. Eva sobbed dryly once more.

"Paul." She whispered. "I'm so sorry. I…I don't belong here without you. I'll find a way to you soon. I can't live like this." She finished, laying the two golden wedding rings on the grave. I slowly helped her up, supporting most of her weight. It was easy, I was still strong.

"Here." She mumbled dully. I took off my bag and began pulling things from it. Eva slowly drew the circle, the stars. Each step she took seemed labored and her heart was racketing against her chest.

"You're not strong enough for this." I realized suddenly. "We'll wait till you're stronger."

"NO!" She shouted. She had to gasp for breath after that, coughing. Blood came from between her cracked, parched lips. She wiped it away. "Now. I don't care if I die. It doesn't matter anymore. This isn't how the world is supposed to be, Liley. We messed up! They should all be alive! My Paul…" She stopped, shaking with suppressed sobs again.

"Eva, I give a damn!" I shouted back. "You're one of the last family members I have left!"

"I'm already dead, Liley." She whispered now. "The sooner the better, but I'm dead nevertheless. Physically, mentally, spiritually, I'm already dead. This is my last attempt, my last chance to fix this."

Suddenly, I felt like I was thirteen years old again, desperately reaching out for my sister. But I'd waited too long, again.

"I'll fix it." I whispered, clutching the piece of paper in my pocket. "It'll be better, Evie."

"I love you, Delilah. Now stand in the circle." She ordered as she collapsed on the ground and opened up her mother's book. "I know where I can send you back to, the first time I ever saw my mom do a ritual. I'm going to intercept it." She explained. I nodded.

"Eva…" I started. She shook her head.

"Don't. It's not goodbye. Save us." She whispered. And then she started to sing in Gaelic.

And the last thing I saw before the light swallowed me was Eva collapsing on the ground, and my sister covered in darkness behind her, glaring at me as she screamed in rage.


End file.
